


A Surprise

by E_Salvatore



Series: A Surprise [1]
Category: Digimon Tamers
Genre: And the Digimon are back too!, F/M, Fluffy fluffity fluff, No pregnant teenagers I promise, Pointless fluff, Romance, oops a baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-22 13:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 65,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2510012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/E_Salvatore/pseuds/E_Salvatore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Of all the impossible things they’ve faced, this feels like the most impossible of them all. And certainly the most unexpected, even more so than that one time she suddenly gained a Digimon partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

Ruki pulled away and shifted in Jen’s lap, trying to get comfortable. She smirked when she felt something pressing against her thigh.

“You know, the girls in my class always freak out when this happens.”

“When what… oh.” Jen trailed off. He’d only just caught his breath after Ruki’s sudden attack on his lips and scrambled to clear his mind and find a way to navigate through this situation. “I thought you don’t participate in ‘girl talk’ with them.” He said, hoping to distract her as blood rushed up to his cheeks. That was good, right? At least it was going in the right direction. He needed blood in his head now, not… other places.

“I don’t. They’re ten times louder than your sister and they sit right next to me.” Ruki muttered. “It’s impossible _not_ to hear them.”

“Oh.” Wow, things were just getting worse. Especially with the way she kept squirming around in his lap, trying to get… wait. “Ruki.” He glared at her. “You’re doing that on purpose.”

“What?” She asked, wide and innocent eyes staring at him. It was too bad she refused to join her mother in the entertainment world, really, because Ruki was an excellent actress. “I’m just curious.”

Jen groaned. Nothing good ever came from Ruki being curious. In fact, Ruki saying _I’m just curious_ almost always brought about bad things. Her curiosity had nearly gotten them killed a handful of times. _Curiosity killed the cat_ , he would snap at her. _Ah_ , she’d smirk, _but satisfaction brought it back._

“Besides,” Ruki said, giving him a dirty look for his reaction to her words. “It’s not like I don’t know what this is.” She punctuated her statement with more squirming. Jen settled his hands on either side of her hips, hoping to hold her in place and stop her from moving about.

“Ruki, we’re seventeen.” It was, perhaps, a weak protest. Half-hearted, at most.

“So?” She retorted. “We’ve been doing things way too young our whole lives. Remember how we _saved the world_ when we were kids? And the way we repeatedly risked our lives, also as kids? _And_ there was that time we jumped headfirst into an unknown portal to get our Digimon back. We were _thirteen_. I think that was a bigger deal than this.”

“That’s really not the same thing.”

She scowled and Jen knew then there was no talking her out of this. Ruki didn’t pursue much, but when she tried more than once to talk a person into something, it meant she really wanted that something. He’d never been good at denying her anything; she’d used that to her advantage to talk him into kissing her when they were fourteen and she’d wanted to find out what the big deal about making out was.

“Besides, it’s just sex. It’s not _that_ big of a deal.”

He sighed. “That’s what you said about kissing.”

“We should try it.” She went on, ignoring him.

Another heavy sigh. “That’s _exactly_ what you said about kissing.”

“And that turned out to be fun, didn’t it?” She pointed out. Of course it had, he’d been daydreaming about her for weeks, maybe months, when Ruki first approached him. And when she’d explained that this didn’t mean anything, that she merely wanted to get the whole messy first kiss thing out of the way and Jen was the only one she both trusted _and_ could tolerate, and really, it wasn’t a big thing and he didn’t have to feel pressured and no, it wouldn’t mean they were _together_ … well, he’d been a fourteen-year-old boy with a crush. It didn’t really matter what Ruki said then, only that _she_ _wanted_ _to kiss him_ and she wanted him to kiss her, and so he’d nodded along and agreed to everything.

It hadn’t been that messy, as far as first kisses go. And what she’d said about trusting him, that was high praise coming from Ruki. She didn’t fall in love with him after, nor did she change her mind about a relationship. But days passed, and she kissed him again. And again. And again. Eventually, Jen started kissing her too. Days turned into weeks, those into months, months flew by as seasons gave way to one another and now here they were, making out in her house while her family was out, three years into… whatever this thing between them was.

“Jen?” She called, turning his attention back to her. Ruki's eyes were wide, not with fake innocence but uncertainty and… a hint of insecurity. “Don’t you want to?”

“I…” A quiet handful of seconds, and then he removed one hand from her hip to cup her left cheek, drawing her closer. “Yes. Yeah, let’s.”

She blinked, and the uncertainty and insecurity – he must’ve imagined that, Ruki and insecure were two words he’d never have thought to use in the same sentence – were gone, replaced by a swirl of other things, too many emotions for him to name right then. A smile tugged on her lips – too soft and happy to be a smirk, but a victorious smile nonetheless.

“I knew I’d talk you into-”

“There’s something I have to say first!” Jen blurted out, interrupting her mid-sentence. He’d known for a while now. A few months, maybe even longer. It had taken him a long time to admit it to himself, and even longer to consider telling her. But this was a huge step for them, right? Surely she wouldn’t freak out if he told her he was in lov-

“Don’t.” Ruki said sharply and kissed him so that she didn’t have to see the disappointment in his eyes. “Just… don’t. Not yet. Okay?”

“Okay.” Jen agreed easily as her hands reached between them to undo the buttons on his shirt. _Not yet_ , she’d said. That gave him a bit of hope, at least. He’d tell her someday.

 . 

 .

 .

 .

 .

“Ugh,” Terriermon groaned as he watched Ruki lean into Jen. “Those two are getting so… _mushy_.”

“Then give them some privacy and stop watching.” Renamon said bluntly. She knew the smaller Digimon was just confused – their kind wasn’t born with an innate understanding of the concept humans called _romantic love_. In fact, they hadn’t been born with any sense of love, period. It had taken a while for them to grasp the idea of friendship and the kind of love shared between family and friends but romantic love, the kind their Tamers now expressed, continued to elude them. Perhaps it was for the best. Digimon were not made for such things, and it seemed to be far too messy and complicated, anyway.

Even so, Renamon knew enough of these matters to sense when the two teenagers deserved some privacy. She had subtly taken her leave of them as soon as Jen’s hand had reached for her Tamer’s, and had managed to take Terriermon with her.

Now, she stood under the shade of a tree while Terriermon tried to spy on their Tamers through a crack between the curtains. The rabbit finally gave up with a sigh.

“Fine. If they’re not going to pay attention, then I’m going to steal the last doughnut.” He announced, turning away from the window to head for the kitchen.

Renamon chuckled, a short burst of mischievous laughter, and promptly disappeared into the shadow realm between worlds.

“That one’s another weirdo.” Terriermon grumbled, ambling down the hallway on short, chubby legs. “Renamon’s weird and Jen’s weird and Ruki’s weird. Everything’s weird.” The rabbit sighed heavily. “At least I get to have that doughnut.” He cheered up considerably at the thought, only to enter the kitchen and find Renamon polishing off the last bite of _his_ doughnut.

“Hey!” Terriermon cried. “That’s not fair!”

The fox gave him a blank look before vanishing wordlessly.

“Fine.” The small Digimon huffed. “ _Fine_. I’ll bake a cake! Jen and Ruki can clean up the mess, see how they feel then. _And_ I’ll call for take-out.” He vowed, dragging a chair away from the breakfast table to the kitchen counter where Ruki’s mother kept the take-out menus and numbers. Terriermon hopped on top of the chair and pulled the drawer open, gathering an armful of menus.

“Jen _hates_ it when I answer the door and shock the delivery man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently watched this season again, for the first time in ten years or so. And the obsessive shipper in me just had to find something to ship, even though I don’t remember shipping anything ten years ago. That something turned out to be Jen/Ruki. So then I read pretty much all of the fanfic in the archives. When that was done, I found I was still obsessing over this ship, so I was driven to write this. It’s the only way to get through this phase.
> 
> I hope some of you, at least, will enjoy this. I hope this will be a satisfactory Jen/Ruki fix for you shippers. I also hope I don’t screw things up remarkably, but that’s kind of my specialty, so…
> 
> But hey, give it a shot? And let me know if (when) I do manage to somehow screw everything up, maybe? Or just drop a line to tell me I haven’t messed things up so far. That would be nice.


	2. One

**ONE**

* * *

“Good afternoon, Lee Jenrya speaking. How may I-”

_“It’s me.”_

“Ruki.” He almost smiles at the impatient way she had cut him off, typical Ruki, but her voice sounds a little off and she hadn’t thrown in an affectionate insult at the end of her sentence. It’s enough to get him the tiniest bit suspicious. “What’s wrong?”

_“Who said anything’s wrong?”_ She snaps, but her voice is small and she’d choked a little on the word _wrong_ , and now he’s sure something isn’t right.

“Tell me.” Jen says firmly. It’s a gamble because Ruki is unpredictable. Sometimes a demand like that can set her off and bring out the worst of her stubborn side, but sometimes it’s the only way to get her to spit something out. Luckily, this seems to be one of those times.

_“I… Jen, I’m…”_

She sounds like she’s crying. He tells her so and hears nothing but silence for half a minute. Ruki must’ve pulled the phone away as she tries to calm herself down.

_“Damn it.”_ She mutters when she finally returns to their conversation. _“I don’t know what’s happening. I wasn’t like this earlier,”_ Ruki sighs. _“Maybe the shock’s wearing off and I’m finally reacting.”_

“What shock?” Jen demands sharply as he pushes his chair away from the desk and gets up. He quickly shuts down his computer and shoves the papers he’d been working on into a drawer. “Ruki, what is going on?” He’s reaching for his jacket when she finally tells him.

_“Jen,”_ She draws in a deep breath, as if bracing herself for something. And then she says it, two simple words delivered in the most blunt, matter-of-fact tone he’s ever heard her use. Even as he struggles to come to terms with this huge surprise, a part of his mind tells him she’d only said it that way because otherwise, she would have broken down into tears.

_“I’m pregnant.”_

His breath catches in his throat, his heart is pounding so hard it hurts and he can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips. _This is great news_ , he wants to say. _I’m so happy_ and _I love you_ and a thousand other things, too. But he can hear her on the other line, breathing hard and struggling not to cry, and it’s enough to make him keep his joy to himself, for now.

“Where are you?” Jen asks instead, walking away from the quiet corner he’s claimed as his workspace. It’s two in the afternoon; she should be in her office.

_“I_ …” She trails off for a second, probably trying to figure out her own location. Ruki has a habit of wandering aimlessly when she’s sad or happy or mad or confused. Ruki has a habit of wandering aimlessly, period. He’d be more worried about it if he didn’t know that Renamon is always around to keep tabs on her. “ _I’m in the park_.” She finally says, surprised at where her feet had taken her.

“I’m heading there now,” He tells her. “Just wait. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise.”

Silence greets him as she composes herself. “ _Okay.”_ Ruki whispers, voice hoarse again. She cuts the call.

Jen rounds the corner into the main area of his floor, where dozens of cubicles are neatly lined up and people are hunched over their computers. No sign of Terriermon. He speeds up, heading for the break room and sure enough, there’s the rabbit sitting on the kitchen counter with two young women gushing over his adorable eyes and huge ears. A man walks in, juggling two boxes of doughnuts.

“Hey, Terriermon!” He says, and Jen instantly recognizes him. Kent is their new intern, an American boy who’d dropped everything at the chance to work at Hypnos. “I got you some of your favorites.” Jen’s almost impressed; the boy’s been here for two weeks and already Terriermon has him wrapped around his little finger.

“Yay!” The Digimon cheers and his Tamer picks that moment to alert the group to his presence.

“Terriermon, come on. We need to go now.” He says urgently, hoping to communicate the need to make haste without having to explain the situation in front of his co-workers.

“Aw,” Terriermon whines. “But Kent just got doughnuts!” He points at the intern, who’s holding up an open box of a dozen doughnuts as an offering to the rabbit.

“Terriermon.” Jen calls sternly.

“Fine, fine.” He stands up, quickly reaching into the box Kent is still holding up. Terriermon threads three doughnuts through the horn atop his head, turning it into some kind of makeshift doughnut holder, and pushes one through his fist, wearing it like a bangle on his short arm. He grabs one last doughnut and waves goodbye to the trio in the break room. “Thanks, Kent!” Terriermon smiles, biting into the treat in his hand as he chases after an impatient Jen.

“What’s wrong, Jen?” He asks curiously as they step into the lift.

The young man considers his partner’s question for a long moment. The news concerns them all, but maybe it isn’t his to tell. “It’s Ruki,” He says vaguely. “Something’s happened, so we’re meeting her at the park.” It feels wrong somehow, to treat _it_ like a problem. But that seems to be the approach Ruki is taking.

“Okay.” Terriermon shrugs easily, reaching for the bangle-doughnut now that he’s finished the first. Jen remains silent as they step out and blend into the crowd milling about the building’s ground floor.

Ruki is pregnant with their child, and it’s everything he’s never even dared to hope for. Things have changed in the ten years since she first kissed him but she’s still the same girl who’d warned him not to expect much from her. What they share is still a secret from all but Juri, and their friend only knows because she’d finally figured it out after nearly a decade, not because Ruki had seen fit to inform her. She doesn’t call him her boyfriend and he’s never declared her his girlfriend. Beyond living together, which she had finally agreed to two years ago, Ruki had warned him not to expect anything else. The only time the matter of children had been brought up was when they were seventeen and she told him not to worry about it because she was on birth control. And they’ve never even discussed marriage, even though he’s tried to bring it up a few times.

Jen wishes things could be different. He imagines what could have happened if things _were_ different. They’d probably be married by now. The child would have been something they’d planned for. Maybe the news would come as a surprise, a bit earlier than they’d thought, but they would have been happy. He’d have been with her when she found out; they’d go out and celebrate, maybe round up all of their family and friends to share the happy news.

Instead, she’s waiting for him at the park, probably trying her best not to break down into tears, and Jen’s desperately trying to fight the happiness that’s swelling in his heart so that he can remain objective and offer Ruki his support in any way she’ll accept it.

He sighs heavily as they exit the building. The park isn’t far and Jen prays the short walk won’t be enough for him to get his hopes up.

“It’ll be okay, Jen. You’ll see.” Terriermon assures him, picking up on his Tamer’s distress. He reaches for one of the doughnuts stacked on top of his horn. “Moumantai.” The rabbit quips, earning himself a smile and a playful swat at his ears.

“You won’t be saying that when you get sick from all those doughnuts,” Jen warns, smiling at Terriermon’s efforts to cheer him up. Will his partner even understand what’s happening? He’s been in this world for a long time now but humans are still so different from Digimon. Even Renamon sometimes has trouble fully adapting to this world, and she’s put in the most effort to study their world and observe their ways. And as far as Jen knows, Digimon have nothing like pregnancy, or any similar reproductive methods.

Terriermon scowls. “At least let me enjoy myself for now.” He demands, crossing his arms. “Buzzkill." The Digimon mutters, just loud enough for his Tamer to hear.

Jen almost laughs, but the park appears within sight at that exact moment.

“Did Ruki say where she is?” Terriermon asks. Renamon appears by their side just then, presumably there to act as their guide.

“Come,” The fox intones. “I will lead you to her.”

“Renamon!” The smaller Digimon cries happily, offering her his last doughnut. Renamon politely declines. Terriermon shrugs and devours the treat himself.

“How is she?” Jen asks discreetly, hoping to get Renamon’s take on the situation. Even after ten years with Ruki, he’ll easily admit that her Digimon partner knows her better than anyone else in both worlds, better than Jen or even her family.

“She is… confused,” Renamon muses. “Lost, somehow, as if she is torn between a dozen choices.” Despite his attempts, a small flicker of hope makes it presence known. So Ruki hasn’t decided yet. Maybe…

“It would be wise to tread carefully.” The fox says. “I think she knows what it is she wants to do, but Ruki has a bad habit of denying herself the things she wants the most, believing that she is unworthy.”

“She-” Jen interrupts, leaping to Ruki’s defense. She would make a wonderful mother; he knows this with more certainty than he does anything else regarding this situation.

“I know.” Renamon states before he can say any more. “But she does not think so. It will take time for her to believe this, and if we try to push her into this belief before she is ready, she might react… unfavorably. Ruki can sometimes make hasty decisions. Bad decisions she often comes to regret.”

The fox gives him an expectant look, waiting for him to get on the same page. Jen takes a few seconds to process her words before he nods.

“I understand.”

Renamon acknowledges this with a nod of her own. “She is there,” The Digimon points straight ahead. “The bench closest to Guilmon’s old house.” She pauses to pick Terriermon up by his ear. “We will give you some privacy.”

“Thank you.” Jen says as Terriermon starts to protest.

“Hey, what’s going on? Where are we going? I wanted to say hi to Ruki!”

“You will,” Renamon states simply, walking away from Jen with Terriermon still securely in her hold. “Soon.”

Jen watches their retreating forms a few seconds more, then turns to face the direction Renamon had pointed out. He takes a moment to prepare himself for the situation before he starts moving at a brisk pace to where Ruki is. If he’s this messed up, then he can’t imagine how Ruki feels right now. He’s kept her waiting too long; he should’ve moved faster, rushed here instead of taking his own sweet time, fretting and allowing himself to be lost in his thoughts. This is something they need to discuss together.

Ruki won’t blame him, he knows. If she had been around to see the way he’s beating himself up, she would have slapped the back of his head and called him an idiot. Ruki’s always said he’s too hard on himself.

He can’t help but judge himself harshly, though, when he finally walks up to her.

“Hey,” He says softly, hoping not to startle her. She quickly moves her hands away from where they’d been hiding her face, swiping away tears as she turns to face him.

“Jen.” She hiccups, eyes still glistening even as she tries to compose herself. He wishes, again, that things were different, that she wouldn’t feel the need to hide her pain and fear from him. But if all these things he wished about her were true, then would she still be the same woman he loves? Once, during a particularly bad fight, Ruki had accused him of seeing the version of her he wanted to see, not the Ruki that truly was. He’s been very careful ever since to make sure that he’s in love with the real her, not the Ruki he sometimes wishes she could be.

Still, he wants to comfort her, and he wants her to be able to let him, just this once. Jen sits down next to her and hesitantly holds his arms open, and Ruki surprises him by rushing into his embrace, arms reaching up and hands resting on the back on his neck as she presses her face into his shirt.

“What are we going to do?” She wonders, voice muffled by his shirt.

He’s given it a lot of thought by this point, and there’s only one right answer. It’s an answer he’s ready to stand behind. “Whatever you want.”

Ruki pulls away to look at him. “But you… don’t you-?” Jen pushes back the strands of red that have fallen into her face. Somehow, he knows what she’s asking.

“I’m…” He struggles for words. “Ruki, I’m happy.” Jen admits, and it feels good to finally say it. But that isn’t the point. “I’m happy, but I’m only going to do this if you’re happy too. I don’t ever want to force you into something, or make you feel like you have to do something for me.”

“I don’t know how I feel about… this.” She whispers, and he’s just glad she said _this_ and not _it_. “And I don’t know what I want to do.”

Jen laces their fingers together and brings their intertwined hands up to his lips, kissing hers. “I promise I’ll support whatever you choose. All I ask, Ruki,” He grips her hand a little tighter. “All I ask is that you don’t make your decision now. Just… think about it. Really think it through. You can take all the time you need.”

They both know it’s not true. There's never been any reason for them to look into this but there has to be some sort of deadline if Ruki decides… if she decides she isn’t happy about this. Still, his words are enough for her… for now.

“Okay.” She promises, and Jen gathers her into his arms again.

“I’m never going to leave you, you know that, right?”

“I know.” Ruki sighs. He can feel her lips moving against his neck. It goes without saying that she won’t leave him either. These things always go without saying when Ruki’s involved, but the sentiment is just as clear to him as his words are to her.

It’s a nice, calm moment after the storm they’ve weathered and the hurricane that awaits, but they can’t remain there all day. Somewhere, Terriermon is probably bugging Renamon to bring him to them. The people in Jen's office are wondering where he is. He wonders if Ruki has the day off or if her co-workers are puzzling over her absence. Somehow, it doesn’t seem right to ask her.

“Have you eaten?” He asks instead and she shakes her head _no_.

“I was late this morning so I skipped breakfast-” He remembers that she’d asked him to let her sleep in and told him to go ahead to the office, said that she didn’t have anything scheduled so she could go later. “And then after I left the doctor’s office-” So that’s where she’d gone, where she’d found out about their child. He knows so little of what she’s been through so far, Jen realizes. “After… I didn’t really feel like eating.” She finishes.

“Come on, then.” He sighs, pulling them up to their feet. Ruki seems content to remain pressed against him so he wraps an arm around her waist. It’s a rare display of public affection; usually, she scowls and pulls away when he tries to hold her hand in broad daylight. “I’m not going to let you starve yourself.” Jen says, and barely manages to shut his mouth before he adds _and our baby_.

Ruki reluctantly agrees to a meal and their partners join them as they leave the bench behind. Terriermon is mercifully silent, probably due to Renamon’s coaching. Not much is said between the four as they leave the park, and Jen is glad for it because his brain is a mess.

A baby.

It all seems so impossible to him but as they join the masses and Ruki remains by his side, letting him hold her in full view of a thousand strangers, Jen starts to let himself hope.

Just a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in case you missed it, there’s a seven-year gap between the prologue and this chapter. I imagine they’re both twenty-four here, along with the rest of the gang. And we’ll be seeing those guys soon.
> 
> What do you guys think so far? Too sappy? Too dramatic? I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that I’m back in the Digimon fandom after ten years, and now I’m writing in the fandom. My younger self would have been so proud of me. Or embarrassed.
> 
> Reviews would be very, very nice. And warmly welcomed. And really appreciated. You get the gist of it, yes? I am begging for feedback. My younger self would definitely have been embarrassed.


	3. Two

**TWO**

* * *

Warm fingers brush errant locks of hair off her forehead.

“Hey,” Jen smiles as she opens her eyes. “Are you coming to the office today?”

Ruki turns so that she’s on her side, pressed against him. “I have to,” She grumbles as his hands wrap around her, holding her closer. “I said I was taking the rest of yesterday off, not the rest of the week.”

She misses the concern on Jen’s face as he speaks. “You know, you could take the day off if you really don’t feel well.”

_And so it starts_ , she thinks to herself. Jen’s normally quite good at respecting her need to take care of herself and doesn’t subject her to unnecessary worrying on his part, and she’d hoped recent events wouldn’t change that. But maybe he’s only worried because she’d spent half the night throwing up, so Ruki doesn’t call him out on it just yet.

“I’m good,” She tells him, making an effort to move away from his arms and sit up properly. Her vision swims for a few seconds. “Besides, I should probably save those sick days, just in case…” In case she decides to keep the baby and needs those days off for when she’s too pregnant to bother with work. Ruki doesn’t say this out loud; she doesn’t want to get his hopes up.

“Alright then,” Jen says and she wonders for a moment if he knows what she was about to say. He stands and holds out a hand, which she accepts with an eye roll but grips tightly when he pulls her to her feet and she gets hit by a wave of nausea. There’s no way he doesn’t notice the way she suddenly squeezes his fingers, but he does an admirable job of pretending everything’s alright and waits until she lets go.

Ruki heads for the bathroom while he walks to the door. As per their routine, she’ll shower while he makes breakfast and she’ll do the dishes when he takes his turn in the bathroom.

“You’ll be okay on your own, right?” Jen can’t resist asking just as he’s about to walk out of the room and Ruki smiles fondly at the way he’d blurted out the words, as if he’d been holding the question back for too long and it had just burst from his lips.

“Go make me breakfast,” She orders jokingly and he smiles in relief, both at how normal she seems and at the fact that she hadn’t snapped at him for asking. Ruki disappears behind the bathroom door with one last smile and he heads out of their room.

Terriermon joins him and they walk to the kitchen together, where Renamon has a pot of tea ready.

“Good morning.” The fox says evenly, nodding in acknowledgement of their presence.

“Good morning!” Terriermon parrots with considerably more enthusiasm. Jen simply smiles at the taller Digimon, and then looks curiously at the pot of tea. It isn’t uncommon for him and Renamon to share a pot of Chinese tea in the mornings, but the aroma wafting from the still-steaming pot doesn’t match their usual preference.

“Ruki’s grandmother would make her drink ginger tea when her stomach was not well.” Renamon informs him.

Understanding dawns upon Jen. “You made this?”

Renamon simply nods. He leaves it at that and begins to prepare breakfast, trying not to make her uncomfortable. She and her Tamer are a lot alike sometimes, especially in the way they _show_ how much they care rather than expressing themselves with words.

When Ruki comes down twenty minutes later, Renamon hands her a full cup and she accepts it grudgingly, complaining about the taste. But there’s no hiding the grateful smile on her face, which she eventually obscures by sipping at her tea.

Breakfast is the usual quiet affair, with Terriermon and Jen too sleepy to add much to the hushed conversation Ruki and Renamon engage in. When Jen is finished, he leaves his dishes in the sink and brushes a hand past Ruki’s shoulder as he walks out of the kitchen.

Terriermon lingers in his chair while Ruki gets up to wash the dishes and Renamon clears the table. There isn’t much to wash; Jen had cleaned up after cooking, an attempt to make things easier for her, no doubt.

“How are you feeling?” Renamon asks quietly when she comes to stand next to her Tamer and dries the dishes Ruki hands her. She considers the question for a while, watching the water rinse away soap bubbles.

“Much better.” Ruki finally says. “I’m sorry if I freaked you out yesterday,” She adds. “I was just… shocked, I guess.”

Her partner nods. “As we all were.”

“Hey, what’re you two whispering about?” Terriermon butts in, hopping down from his chair and padding over to them.

Ruki rinses off the last plate and hands it to Renamon before turning to the rabbit. “Nothing much.” She smiles at the sight of Terriermon struggling to contain a yawn. “Are you coming with us today?”

Terriermon nods. “I was promised cake.” He says solemnly. Ruki gives him a questioning look. “It’s someone’s birthday, I think. All I know is there will be cake.”

“Well, you can’t miss out on that, obviously.” Ruki teases. She thinks she hears a chuckle but when she turns to look at Renamon, the Digimon is busy returning the now-clean dishes to where they belong.

“Hey,” Terriermon pouts, crossing his short arms. “Are you teasing me?”

Ruki bends down to pat the rabbit on his head, which Terriermon narrowly avoids by dodging away at the last second, earning himself a pat on his left ear instead. “Teasing you?” Ruki gasps. “Never!”

“Yeah, right.” Terriermon huffs, and this time they both catch Renamon laughing.

“What’s going on here?” Jen asks warily, hesitating by the doorway. Renamon immediately snaps back to her stoic self while Terriermon jumps up on his back.

“Finally!” He exclaims loudly in Jen’s ear before he jumps down to the ground and runs out of the kitchen. “Let’s go!” The rabbit calls from outside, where he’s waiting by the front door. “Caaaaake!”

Jen shoots Ruki a mystified look. “Apparently it’s someone’s birthday.” She shrugs as they walk out to the living room, where she picks up her jacket and bag.

“He has a serious sugar problem.” Jen sighs as Renamon opens the front door and Terriermon rushes out to push the button for the lift. He locks the door behind him and Ruki waits while Renamon goes ahead to subdue Terriermon.

“Imagine dealing with a kid like that.” Ruki quips absent-mindedly, only to freeze in place when she realizes what she’s said.

There's a beat of silence while Jen stores the keys in his pocket, and then a fake shudder. “Terriermon’s bad enough as it is.” He jokes, and Ruki tries to hide her relief at the way he’d handled that by swatting his arm.

“Don’t let him hear that,” She orders. “Or we’ll all have to deal with his pouting and grumbling in the car.”

The lift arrives and the Digimon enter first.

“Beats him shouting _caaaaake_ the whole way to the office.” Jen shrugs just before they join their Digimon. Terriermon jabs repeatedly at the button for the garage, and finally Jen picks him up and pins his hands to his sides while the rabbit squirms and demands to be let down.

“If you’re this hyper without cake, maybe you shouldn’t have any at all.” Ruki comments idly, a subtle threat.

Terriermon quiets down immediately.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Renamon appears half an hour before lunch, back from whatever she was doing while Ruki juggled reports, incoming proposals and pre-meeting preparations.

“You’re supposed to meet Juri for lunch today.” She reminds her Tamer, who brightens up immediately.

“We’re leaving right now.” Ruki decides, gathering her things. “I can’t spend another minute looking over these reports.”

The fox stands silently by her side as she double-checks with her staff that everything’s ready for their meeting this afternoon and delegates some paperwork to her assistant.

On their way out, she gets a call from Jen.

“Hey, you’re having lunch with Juri, right?”

“Yeah, do you want me to get you anything?” She asks, pointing out to Renamon that they should turn left as they walk out of the building. It’s still early and the weather is a bit cold for spring, just the way she likes it, so she decides to walk to the restaurant.

“No, thanks. I was just checking.”

Ruki sighs, but doesn’t put more effort into expressing her annoyance. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously.” Jen says, and she can almost picture him sheepishly running a hand through his hair while avoiding her eyes. “I’m sorry; it’s just... you know how you get sometimes, and I was afraid you were going to work through lunch to get ready for later.”

“Well, you can stop worrying about that.” Ruki says with no trace of her previous ire. “I just left the office half an hour before lunch to get _away_ from work.”

“It’s not going to be _that_ bad.”

“You won’t be saying that later.” Ruki challenges. She’s been to more of these things than he has, though they frequently hold meetings together.

Ruki’s informal title is The Guardian, though officially she heads up a department that deals with negotiations and partnerships. It’s a new department, and before this she’d been the only one in it. After all the fuss over the Digital World had settled down, various third parties and even government agencies had rushed over, looking to partner with Hypnos. Most of them had plans to take advantage of the Digital World – tourist spot, exclusive real estate, theme park.

But some of them, mostly independent think tanks, have brilliant ideas that could solve the very real problems humanity faces. A group of scientists are interested in the way data can be manifested physically in the Real World, and wonder if the science could be applied to, say, human organs. If someone could figure out the right codes for vital organs, perhaps they could be developed virtually and then Realized in the human world, thus providing a solution to the shortage of human donors. Another group aims to program solar panels into the Digital World, manipulate the codes so that the panels would be fully charged, and then transfer that energy into the Real World.

In the beginning though, such ideas had been lost in a sea of exploitative, profit-orientated business proposals, and so Yamaki had seen the need to form a team tasked with looking over these ideas. He’d recruited Ruki fresh out of college, knowing that the safety of the Digital World would be her number one priority and she would never approve any sort of proposal that might put the world and its inhabitants in harm’s way. Renamon’s extensive knowledge of her home world is an added bonus, because she can easily tell if an idea has any potential or if it is too far-fetched to work. If the idea is approved by both Ruki and Renamon, it’s forwarded to R&D, two floors down, where Jen, his father and the other creators of Digimon research the idea and put together a brief report on whether or not it’s viable and worth the effort. After all of that, a meeting is arranged between Hypnos and the third party, where they discuss specifics and draw up plans and timelines.

 Needless to say, such a big effort and collaboration between three parties can sometimes turn into a never-ending meeting, and if the outside party feels they’re not getting what they want, that meeting can turn into the mother of all headaches.

“I think these guys will be okay.” Jen tells her, somewhat hesitantly. He doesn’t sound very convincing. They’re meeting with a group that deals primarily with clean energy. It’s the fourth such group they’ve held talks with; the first three hadn’t quite worked out.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Ruki says as the restaurant comes into sight. “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring anything back to the office?”

“We’re good here. Turns out it really is someone’s birthday, and he’s called for food to be delivered here.”

“Well, what do you know?” Ruki grins. “That rabbit of yours was right after all.”

Jen laughs, and it nearly blocks out the sudden increase of background chatter. “Food’s here.” He announces, though she’s figured it out on her own.

“And I’ve just reached the restaurant. I’ll see you later, I guess.” She spies Juri in their usual booth, and Culumon is perched atop one of the ridiculously tall decorative vases the restaurant features, looking like he’s about to be swallowed whole by the huge flower arrangement. The small Digimon’s ears extend in delight as soon as they enter, and he floats towards them, landing on Ruki’s shoulder.

“See you later. Say hi to Juri for me.” She vaguely registers Jen’s voice as Culumon wraps one ear around her arm.

“Ruki!” He squeals, cuddling into her. She’s still mystified by the Digimon’s fondness of her. Officially, Juri is Culumon’s designated care provider, and she does a good job of keeping the little thing safe and fed. But Culumon can be found floating outside Ruki’s window just as often as he is in Juri’s house.

“I will,” Ruki promises. “I’ve got to go now; Culumon might accidentally suffocate me.”

“Say hi to the little guy, too.” Jen laughs. “Bye, Ruki.”

“Bye.” She hangs up, pocketing her phone before she pulls Culumon away from her shoulder and holds him in front of her.

“You’re a friendly little thing, aren’t you?” She questions rhetorically. Culumon tilts his head to the right and emits a tiny, questioning sound.

“Friendly!” He finally parrots before squirming free of Ruki’s hold to land on Renamon’s shoulder instead. She leaves the bundle of energy to Renamon; the fox can handle herself. Ruki turns her attention to Juri instead, who’s just spotted her and stands up to give her a hug as she nears the table.

“Hi!” Juri nearly squeals before taking a seat. “I got us the usual.”

“Oh, good.” Ruki smiles as she sits down. “I’m starving.” A waiter comes by and sets down four glasses of water, and assures them their food will arrive momentarily.

Juri rambles on and on, updating her on everyone’s life. Takato has a new anime coming out, Guilmon is doing voice-overs, Hirokazu and Kenta finally got over their pride and agreed to work for Takato…

“So, how are you? And Jen?” Juri tacks on with a sly smile.

“We’re good,” She says and wonders when she started saying _we’re good_ instead of _I’m okay and he’s alright_ , or going even further back, _I’m okay and why would you ask me about him?_ "Jen says hi."

“Oh, say hi to him too.” Juri smiles when she realizes her tight-lipped friend has nothing else to add. “And you, Renamon?”

“I am well.” The fox says while Culumon flies circles around her head. “Thank you.”

“Alright, then…” Juri flounders for a way to jump-start their conversation, and smiles in relief when their food arrives. The waitress is new and mixes up their orders, so it takes a minute for them to trade plates and dig in. In between bites, Ruki pauses.

“By the way," She says casually, scooping up a spoonful of food. "I’m pregnant.”

Juri almost chokes.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

The meeting runs late and they don’t get home until seven.

“I think that went well.” Ruki decides as they clean up after dinner. It’s just the two of them; the Digimon have left for their nightly meeting with the others. Impmon and Guilmon frequently hang out in the park at night, and Terriermon likes to join them when he can. Renamon tags along and claims to be their chaperone, but she gets into as much mischief as the rest, and there’s always Culumon, flying about and coming up with new games. For the most part though, it’s just playful hand-to-hand training and some target shooting, so that they can burn up some of their excess energy. Impmon has long abandoned his mean pranks.

Jen brings over the last of the used dishes and nudges her out of the way, taking over washing duty. She picks up a dishcloth and gets to work on the few she’s already rinsed off.

“Better than the last three, that’s for sure.” Jen agrees. “And my father thinks they’ve done their homework more than the others. Everyone’s hoping this works out.”

“On my end, too. The department’s been sifting through proposals for three years now but we haven’t actually had a single successful partnership. Yamaki says the benefactors are getting a bit antsy, demanding something they can spin into positive PR for the public.” Ruki says, accepting a clean plate from Jen.

He sighs. “I know it’s better for Hypnos to be funded by individuals rather than any government, but it all seems so ridiculous sometimes. Did you know Takato’s in talks to do another Digimon series in partnership with Hypnos? They want higher public approval numbers or something.”

“Good for the kid.” Ruki shrugs. “Juri says Hirokazu and Kenta are finally working for him.”

Done with the washing, Jen picks up another cloth and helps her dry the remaining dishes. “Is that all she said?” He asks casually, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

Ruki knows what he’s getting at. She hasn’t said anything, but Jen probably guessed that she’d tell her closest friend. And he guessed correctly.

“Juri thinks we’re more prepared for this than most people.” Ruki repeats what her friend had said after the last of her coughs had subsided and she’d thoroughly chastised Ruki for dropping such a bomb on her while she was eating. “We’re twenty-four, we’ve got stable jobs…”

She’s quiet for a long while, and eventually they drift into the living room and end up on the couch, with her curled up and leaning into him while he flicks through the channels.

Jen wraps one arm around her, his fingers splayed over her side. They twitch, occasionally, and Ruki thinks it’s because he’s itching to move his fingers forward just a bit, to rest on her stomach. She wants to let him, wants to pull his hand over so that it frames her stomach, and lace their fingers together so that they’re both cradling the baby.

Instead, Ruki rests her head on his shoulder.

“I need more time.” She whispers, closing her eyes. "Just a little bit." Jen pulls her closer with the hand wrapped around her waist, his fingers still resting so close to her stomach.

He drops a kiss on her temple. “I’ll wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There might have been too much rambling in this chapter. I went off-topic no less than three times, I think. Sorry about that.
> 
> I was beginning to think no one’s actually reading this (and was strangely resigned to keep writing for an audience of zero anyway, because I can’t help all these feels!) but then NeoDarklight and lesmystiquestar swooped in and left wonderfully encouraging reviews on AO3 and ff, so shout-out to you two! Thanks for making this feel a little less like a crazed, half-mad effort to exorcise all of my shipper feels in a rambling story no one wants to read. And thanks to everyone else, if there is anyone else. It’s okay to lurk, I appreciate you just reading this. But I wouldn’t mind hearing from you guys…
> 
> Happy Halloween!


	4. Three

**THREE**

* * *

“My mom had me at eighteen and everything turned out… fine, I guess.” Ruki muses, eyes still fixed on her computer screen. She’s pretending to be focused on work while she casually debates the merits of having a child, but Renamon knows she stopped paying attention to her computer ten minutes ago and there’s nothing casual about the way she keeps trying to talk herself into, and then out of, making a decision. “I’m six years older than she was; I should be able to handle this. Right?” She turns to her Digimon; it’s the first time she’s acknowledged her presence since Renamon entered her office seventeen minutes ago and found her talking to herself.

“You know what I think about this, Ruki.” The fox says patiently. She knows a decision like this cannot be rushed, but it seems to her like Ruki _has_ made her mind up and now she’s just trying to talk herself out of it because she’s scared.

Ruki sighs. “Yes, but tell me anyway. Maybe hearing it from you will help.”

Renamon takes a seat opposite her Tamer; they’re separated only by a desk. “I think you can do this and you _know_ you can, but you’re too afraid to admit that this is something you want, because more and more your life has strayed from the path you thought it was set upon and a child with Jen would take you upon a road there is no coming back from.”

There is a long moment of silence, broken by an annoyed huff. “I hate it when you’re right.” Ruki scowls, earning herself a chuckle from her partner.

“You only hate it when I make you face things you would rather avoid.” Renamon corrects with a knowing smile.

“I guess,” Ruki says and leaves it at that. She stares blankly at her own hands.

“I do want this.” She finally admits. “And it’s terrifying, because I never thought this was even an option for me. But everyone thinks I won’t mess this up, and I know Jen will be there even if I do, and we’ll have you and Terriermon, though I think having Terriermon around a kid won’t be much help,” Ruki babbles until the fox reaches out and places a hand on top of hers; a rare gesture. “And I just really, really want this.” She finishes weakly, in a hoarse whisper.

“Then it is yours for the taking.” Her partner says simply.

Ruki shakes her head. “It can’t be that simple. What if I _do_ mess up? Twenty-four is still pretty young to have a child, and we both work full-time jobs… and what if things don’t actually work out with Jen? We’ve been acting as though this relationship will last forever but isn’t that stupid? It’s exactly the kind of stupid thing normal people in normal relationships think.”

“I didn’t realize you were carrying around this concern.” Renamon admits; she'd been under the impression that Ruki was only hesitating because the idea of raising a child is daunting. It makes more sense now, the way her Tamer has been agonizing over this decision. Ruki isn’t one to rush headfirst into things, but she usually makes her decisions as soon as she’s able to assess a situation and take in enough information. But with Jen involved, and the fear that this might drive them apart…

She remembers the day she’d caught Ruki and Jen kissing for the first time. They’d quickly jumped apart, the boy embarrassed and so nervous he could do nothing but sputter Renamon’s name. But Ruki had calmly greeted her, said goodbye to Jen and walked home. Nothing was said of what Renamon had just witnessed, and though from then on Ruki made no effort to hide their relationship from her partner, she made it clear on multiple occasions that this was no typical schoolgirl romance that would make her soft or change her, and nothing would come of it in the end. It was simply a convenient, temporary arrangement. But years passed and still they were together, even while all around them their friends built new relationships and gave up on them just as quickly.

When the time for college came, they told everyone they just happened to have chosen the same school. Once, they had a huge falling-out, and Renamon had been around to see the way Ruki had moped about even as she resolutely pretended nothing was wrong, the way she would only sleep on one side of the bed even when there was no one there to share it with her, the way she would always order too much when she called for take-out. The day before Jen had shown up and begged Ruki to give them another try, she’d found her Tamer standing in front of two unopened containers of food. They were the dishes Jen would order from the restaurant around the corner, and Ruki had naturally included them in her own order because she always ordered for him. She’d remained there for nearly five minutes, with Renamon standing next to her while they stared at those two containers, and finally Ruki had turned to her partner and whispered, _I can’t remember how to be without him._

The look on her face now reminds Renamon of the expression she’d worn that day in the kitchen, staring blankly at take-out food. The fox considers her next words carefully.

“You have been acting that way for a reason.”

“What?” Ruki asks, turning confused eyes upon her partner.

“You said that you have been acting as though your relationship with Jenrya will last forever, and I believe it is because you have no reason _not_ to act that way.”

“Renamon,” Ruki sighs. “I wish it could be that simple, but sometimes…”

“If something is meant to end,” Renamon interrupts her, something she’s never done before. “It will end no matter what. All you can do is appreciate it while it lasts, and make the most of it.”

“But if I go through with this, it’ll hurt so much more when it ends.” Ruki whispers, as if she can’t bring herself to say those words any louder.

Renamon looks her in the eye. “At this point,” She says, referring to Ruki’s earlier confession of wanting this child. “Will it not hurt more if you don’t go through with it?”

The redhead buries her face in her hands and exhales heavily.

“I am so screwed.” Ruki mumbles before she lifts her head and drops her hands. “I’m screwed, and I’m terrified and nervous and crazy for even saying this but… I’m doing this. I’m actually doing this.”

Renamon smiles. “I’m not the one you need to tell.”

Her Tamer jerks at the reminder. She looks lost for a moment, but then snaps back into focus and starts stacking up papers and shutting down her computer.

“Lunch.” Ruki decides. “Lunch first, and then I’ll tell Jen we’re officially enslaving ourselves to a tiny human being for the next eighteen years.”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

“Jen,” Terriermon sing-songs, appearing from around the corner where he’d been hidden away in his Tamer’s workspace. “Your phone is ringing.”

“Oh,” Jen says, automatically reaching for his phone in his pocket. It takes him two seconds to realize he’d left it on his desk when the intern had called him over to ask for help, and that’s probably why Terriermon came looking for him.

“Excuse me, please.” He says to Kent, leaving the boy to his own devices.

“Who is it?” He asks Terriermon when they’re out of hearing range.

“It’s Ruki.” His partner smirks, watching the way Jen speeds up at the name. He rushes to his desk and slides into his chair just as he accepts the call. Terriermon wanders off; it’s no fun listening in on their conversations.

“Hey.” Jen smiles. Although she hadn’t reacted that badly to his call yesterday, he’d deliberately kept himself from checking on Ruki today, in fear that she would finally snap and call him out on his unnecessary worrying. As such, he hasn’t heard from her since this morning, when he stepped off the lift and left her to ride two more floors up to her own office.

“ _I want to keep it.”_

“What?” He blurts, momentarily confused by her abrupt announcement and taken aback by the possibility of…

“ _The baby.”_ Ruki says, confirming his suspicions. “ _I want to keep the baby, Jen. So let’s have a kid.”_

Jen’s already smiling so wide his face hurts. “I wish you would stop telling me these things over the phone.” He sighs.

_“Why?”_ She asks after a nervous pause.

He finally lets out the excited laugh that’s been bubbling in his chest since she’d said _the baby_. “Because I’m so happy right now, I could kiss you!”

Ruki exhales in relief and issues him a dare. _“I’m only two floors up. What’s stopping you?”_

“You won’t even let me hold your hand in public.” Jen reminds her, though he’s already heading for the lift.

_“As if that’s ever stopped you.”_ She teases.

Jen pushes the button and waits. “And you said you don’t ever want anyone in the office to know we’re together.”

_“They’ll find out soon enough.”_ Ruki mutters. And then, in that same resigned tone, she asks, _“You’re already on your way up, aren’t you?”_ There’s a teasing note in her voice, a quiet fondness.

“The lift just got here,” He confirms with a smile. “So I’m going to hang up before the call drops.”

_“See you soon, I guess.”_ She says before ending the call.

He realizes, belatedly, that he’s forgotten to tell Terriermon where he’s going. It’ll just be a while, though, and his partner is smart enough to piece things together. He knows Ruki called, so he’ll probably figure out that Jen is upstairs.

The door slides open and he steps onto the seventh floor and heads straight for Ruki’s office, which is all the way across the room. A few pairs of curious eyes follow him for a while but no one stops him or greets him, so he keeps going until he reaches the closed door. His fingers curl around the doorknob and twist, allowing him entry into Ruki’s personal space.

She stands up and greets him with a small, nervous smile as he closes the door. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Jen echoes with a bright grin, reaching out with both hands to draw her closer. Ruki lets out a small _oh_ of surprise when he kisses her as soon as he’s close enough, but she responds enthusiastically and wraps her arms around his neck as his hands settle on either side of her waist.

“You’re happy, then?” She asks when he finally pulls away, her shaky voice betraying her uncertainty.

“Biggest understatement of the year,” Jen murmurs into her hair, hands tightening around her frame until he’s holding her as close to him as humanly possible. She feels her lips curve into a smile as she rests her head on his shoulder, turning so that her face is hidden against his neck. Warm, unexpected tears spring to her eyes and it’s only then that she realizes how nervous she’d been about his reaction.

“I love you so much right now,” Jen sighs, pulling away so that he can look her in the eye, “that it feels impossible.”

She smiles and uses the hands still wrapped around his neck to draw his lips closer to her own. In the very last moment before she kisses him, when they’re so close it feels like they’re the only two people in the world, she whispers _I love you_ back to him.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

That evening, she gets out of the shower to find him already in bed, eyes focused on the TV.

“Is that the DVD Juri had me pass to you?” Ruki asks as she towel-dries her hair while padding across the room to get a change of clothes.

“Yeah, it’s the new show Takato’s been working on. I haven’t been able to meet him lately so he must’ve asked Juri to pass it along.” He pauses, turning to her with a curious look. “Are they dating again?”

“Hell if I know,” She shrugs, pulling on a tank top. “Those two are hopeless.”

Jen laughs. “Tell me about it. I always thought they’d get their act together and just stay all happily coupled up for the rest of their lives.”

“None of us could have seen this whole ‘on/off, I love you, I hate you’ thing coming, trust me.” Ruki rolls her eyes and combs her fingers through her hair, shaking out the last few drops of water.

“Exactly.” Jen says, looking troubled. He leans against the headboard and stretches his legs out. “It seems so unlike them.”

Ruki walks up to the bed but instead of getting in on her side, she stops by Jen’s side and taps a finger on his thigh. He shifts slightly so that she can get in and sit between his legs, her back pressed against his front. “Look at us,” She says, trying to comfort him about their friends’ problematic relationship. “No one would believe we’re like this in private. Maybe all of us just treat relationships the exact opposite way people expect us to.”

He sighs but drops the subject.

“So,” Jen smiles, wrapping his arms around her middle. “Are we really doing this?”

“What, having a baby?” Ruki asks, arranging his hands so that both palms are pressed against her stomach. He presses a kiss to her shoulder at the significant gesture on her part. “Yeah,” She sighs, leaning further into him. “I guess we are.”

“And this is what you want?” She almost starts crying again when he asks that but once a day is enough for her. She’s just overwhelmed by how ready he was to miss out on this if she chose a different path and how, even now, he needs to know she’s happy with this.

Ruki squirms in his arms, craning her neck just enough so that she can reach his lips. She kisses him chastely before settling back against his chest. “This is exactly what I want.” She assures him.

“We’ll be happy, Ruki.” He whispers against her neck. “I promise I’ll do everything to make sure we work this out, even though I don’t know the first thing about caring for a baby.”

She laughs because it’s better than crying and damn it, why is he being so sweet today?

“I’m only six weeks along, so I think we’ll have enough time to learn a few things before the baby is born.”

“It’s the third of March today.” Jen muses. “So the baby is due… in November?”

“Yes,” Ruki confirms, lacing their fingers together so that her hands rest above his. It’s the first time she’s thought of it since her doctor gave her that date and suddenly, everything feels so much more… real. This is a thing that is happening. She’s keeping the baby, and they’re going to have a child in a few short months. “We’re going to be parents.” She murmurs, more to herself than to Jen.

He catches it anyway and drops a kiss on the crown of her head. “I can’t believe this is happening… but I can’t imagine things any other way now.” He confides.

Ruki thinks of the day she found out, when she’d gone to her doctor’s office because of what she’d thought was a stomach bug. She’d been throwing up for days and had finally let Jen guilt her into getting herself checked out. When the doctor sat her down and hesitantly asked if there was any possibility of her conceiving a child, her first thought had been _how am I going to deal with this_? It had all seemed so impossible, not so much conceiving a child but _having_ a child, and bringing one into their lives, and raising a kid with their unorthodox relationship.

Up until yesterday, she had been completely unable to picture a baby in their lives no matter how hard she tried. And then this morning, the exact opposite had been impossible. Sometime between yesterday evening and this morning, a switch had been flipped within her, and she knows exactly when. It was when she curled into Jen and let him hold her, and wished that they could both acknowledge the baby the way they’re doing right now, his hands still framing her stomach.

In that one moment she’d finally admitted to herself that she _wants_ this baby as much as Jen, wants to have this baby with him and be happy about it and just sit around and let him hold her this way as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. And it is, or at least that’s how it feels to her now.

The baby isn’t even here yet and already Ruki can’t fathom the idea of not having this child.

“Me neither.” She says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all – I’m one of those people who use the words lift and elevator interchangeably because I grew up around people who use both. I tend to go with elevator because that’s what people around me mostly use, but I realized I used lift in the last two chapters so I’m just sticking with that for the sake of consistency. 
> 
> And ta-da, Ruki made her big decision! … Come on, we all knew this was coming. Or not. Were you seriously blindsided by this? Let me know! Gods above, the review-begging is just humiliating now.
> 
> Brace yourselves for fluffy, fluffy babyfic!


	5. Four

**FOUR**

* * *

“Do you want to tell your parents?” Ruki asks once she’s regained her breath and they’ve settled into a comfortable position.

“About what we just did?” Jen quips in a muffled voice, head resting on her shoulder and lips pressed against her neck. “Never.”

She uses the fingers she’s been running through his hair to tug sharply on a few strands. “About the baby, idiot.” She can feel every tiny movement of his body as he laughs, thanks to the way he’s got half of his body on top of her, one arm slung around her waist and a leg curled around hers. Ruki smiles, and the way her lips curve upwards hints at contentment as well as mischief.

“There’s only so many ways to make a baby, Jen.” Her fingers go back to combing out the midnight-blue hair she’d messed up. She wonders sometimes how he would look like if his hair had remained the same shade of blue it had been when they’d first met. “Your parents are going to figure out what we just did, as you so elegantly phrased it, as soon as we tell them.”

Jen groans as he emerges from where he’d been hiding against her neck, propping his head up with his free hand. “Don’t sound so happy about it,” He chides a grinning Ruki. “Your grandmother is going to _kill_ me when she finds out, and then you’ll be left to raise this baby on your own.”

“I’ll have Renamon to help.” Ruki retorts, using what little energy she has in her body right now to get up and flip them around so that she’s on top. She rests her head on Jen, her chin pressing into his chest.

“Do you know how long it took to convince my family I only moved here because it’s closer to work?” She glares at him. It’s not very convincing, especially with the way her lips keep twitching with a barely-restrained smile. “Months, Jen. It took me _months_. And then you had to go and knock me up.”

“Hey,” He protests, pulling up the sheets to cover her newly-exposed back. Terriermon walked in on them this way once and it is… not an experience he is keen to repeat, suffice to say. “You’ll get off easy here. Everyone’s going to say you were victimized and taken advantage of and I’ll be the bad guy.”

Ruki bursts out laughing. “You? Taking advantage of _me_? I think both of our families know me well enough to know the opposite probably holds more truth.”

“Because everyone knows who wears the pants in this relationship.” Jen deadpans before he gives in to the smile that’s tugging at his lips.

“Well… neither of us, right now.” Ruki manages to say before she starts laughing again.

“Very funny, Ruki.” He drawls before he wraps his arms around her middle and pulls her up so that her face is level with his. She’s still laughing when he kisses her, and she starts again after one last tug on his lower lip, a short burst of amused laughter.

He’d managed to flip them over while she was otherwise distracted, and now he looks down at her with one hand propped up under his chin in a loose fist. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this happy.”

That gets her to sober up immediately, though a soft smile lingers long after her laughter dies down. “I don’t think I’ve ever _been_ this happy.” She whispers a confession and sighs when he leans down and starts pressing kisses to her shoulder.

Ruki’s just about to reach up and lace her fingers in his hair to guide him when Jen comes to an abrupt stop. He mumbles something into her skin.

“What was that?” She asks, somewhat distracted as her ears pick up on a faint tapping sound.

“It’s Saturday.” Jen repeats, lifting his head up. It takes about two seconds for her to understand what he’s getting at. It dawns on her around the same time the tapping sound grows louder, and she unceremoniously flings him off her and pulls up the sheets to cover them both.

“Shit!” She curses viciously, reaching blindly for a second blanket so that she can leave one with Jen and wrap the other around herself. A quick glance at the window reveals a smiling Culumon, palms tapping against the glass as the small Digimon hovers in the sky, right outside their fourteenth-story apartment. Jen bursts out laughing and she turns around to punch him in the arm.

“Jen! Where are my clothes?” She hisses, finally locating that extra blanket.

“How would I know?” He retorts and she’s going to kill him, he’s _way_ too amused right now. “You woke me up at three, I wasn’t exactly conscious enough to pay attention to your clothes once I got them out of the way.”

“ _Why_ do I even put up with you?” Ruki mutters, securing the blanket around herself.

Jen waves to Culumon as Ruki gets up and crosses the room to let their visitor in. “Because you love me?” He hazards a guess.

“God knows why,” Ruki rolls her eyes, and it doesn’t even matter that she’s being so prickly about this because she _didn’t deny it_. Declarations of love from Ruki are the rarest of precious things, but even confessions like this one are far and few in between, and he appreciates each and every one of them.

“Good morning!” Culumon squeals as soon as the window is open, flinging himself at Ruki. She quickly shuts the window and awkwardly pats Culumon with one hand while the other holds the blanket in place.

“Good morning to you too, little guy.” Jen laughs at the energetic Digimon and the way he keeps bouncing from one shoulder to another while flying around Ruki.

“Jen!” Culumon squeals, flying over to land on his chest. His oversized ears flap about as he bounces up and down, using Jen as a trampoline. “Culumon hasn’t seen Jen in so long! Does Jen want to play, Culu?” The small Digimon demands his full attention, so he doesn’t notice that Ruki’s come to sit next to him until the bed dips under her weight.

“Guilmon and Culumon came up with a new game!” Culumon chatters on, though he finally gives up the bouncing and plops himself down on Jen’s chest, seemingly prepared to settle in for a while. “Can we all go to the park, Culu? And play? Impmon created a new game too! Culumon has so many games to play, Culu!”

Jen turns helpless eyes upon Ruki, who laughs and picks up a very excited Culumon. “Maybe later, okay?” She suggests, walking the small Digimon to the door. “Why don’t you go and have breakfast with the others first? Jen and I will be out soon.”

“Breakfast?” Culumon echoes with a curious lilt.

“Yeah, I’m sure Terriermon will share his cereal with you.” Jen speaks up, prompting Culumon to jump out of Ruki’s arms.

“Terriermon!” He squeals and flies out of the door as soon as Ruki holds it open. She shuts the door behind him and locks it for good measure before she pulls the sheet away from her body and throws it at Jen before he can suggest anything.

“Dibs on first shower.” She declares as she heads for the bathroom.

“Oh, no.” Jen protests as he finally gets out of bed. “I’m not waiting until you’re done.”

“I don’t even take _that_ long.” Ruki scowls as he joins her in the bathroom.

“I know.” He grins, reaching behind her to turn on the water. “Still, I suggest we share.”

She narrows her eyes at him in warning. “Fine,” She gives in. “But no funny business, Lee. We’ve got two impatient Digimon out there and one who’ll probably know exactly why we took so long.”

“No funny business, I swear.” Jen holds up both his hands in the universal gesture of _look at innocent little me_. Surprisingly, he actually keeps to his word and they’re soon getting dressed.

He watches as Ruki clips her Digivice to the waistband of her shorts.

“We’re just at home, you know.” Jen reminds her unnecessarily. They both know why she never goes anywhere without it. The first and only time she’d ever done that, she ended up stabbing a Digimon to save Renamon. She isn’t taking that risk ever again.

“Hmm?” Ruki hums distractedly, securing the device before she looks up at him.

Jen drops the matter. She’ll loosen up about this when she’s ready and until then, there’s no point in trying to convince her that Renamon will be fine even if she leaves the Digivice in their bedroom while she eats in the kitchen.

“Are you ready?” He asks instead, watching her comb through her damp hair with her fingers. Ruki nods so he opens the door, and they’re immediately greeted by loud squeals and excited shrieks.

“All I wanted,” Ruki sighs, “was a nice, quiet morning in bed.”

He bumps her shoulder with his own. “At least it’s practice for the baby. Once the kid’s here, we’re never getting another quiet morning.”

Ruki groans.

“Wonderful.”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Culumon and Terriermon eventually talk Jen into taking them to the park, so all of them pile into the car and head out. They make a stop at Ruki’s old home first.

“You sure you want to deal with this alone?” Jen asks for the seventh time as he comes to a stop by the gates.

“It’s safer for you this way,” She smirks. “Grandmother can’t kill you if you’re not around when I tell her.”

“She’ll just kill me the next time she sees me.” He mumbles under his breath.

“We’ll see about that.” Her words are meant to be comforting, but somehow they fail to reassure him. “Maybe I won’t even tell her today.” Ruki adds once she catches sight of his terrified eyes.

“You should,” Jen sighs. “We both should. I’m just… Despite what I said earlier, Ruki, we both know that as soon as people find out, they’re going to go after you, not me. And I can’t bear the thought of what they’ll say about you and our baby.”

Ruki leans over to kiss him chastely. The Digimon are still in the back, after all, making a polite effort to pretend they’re not eavesdropping. “When have I ever cared about what people say?” She smirks before she opens her door and steps out. "Bye, guys!"

The Digimon call out their good-byes from the back. It had taken some convincing to get Renamon to go to the park along with the others; the fox had planned to hang around the Makino house to support Ruki and if necessary, to transport her away. Her Tamer had insisted that she be allowed to do this alone, and had talked Renamon into going along with the others. Renamon had, however, managed to extract a promise from Ruki that she would call on her partner if things didn’t go well. “I’ll see you all later.”

Jen leans over and catches her hand before she can shut the door. “You’ll call when you’re done, right? I’ve my phone with me, or you can call Renamon.” He doesn’t want her walking all the way to the park after she’s done here but knowing Ruki, that’s exactly what she plans on doing.

“I’ll call.” She promises. Jen has his doubts but there’s really nothing he can say, so he lets go of her and waits until she’s safely on the other side of the gates before he drives away.

Ruki watches the car grow smaller and smaller until it turns a corner, and then she inhales deeply in anticipation for what’s coming next and walks into the house.

“Grandmother?” She calls out, walking down the hallway. “Is anyone home?” In hindsight, she probably should have called ahead to ask that question.

She’s about to pull out her phone and do just that (a call would be easier than searching the whole house, that’s for sure) when the door to the living room slides open.

“Ruki?” Her mother questions, popping her head out. “Oh, it is you! Come on in!”

“Mom? What are you doing here?” Ruki asks, stepping into the living room. The TV is on and there’s a glass of wine on the coffee table.

“Shooting finished ahead of schedule,” Rumiko beams, pushing aside some throw pillows to make room for Ruki. They sit on opposite ends of the sofa. “So here I am.” She picks up her glass of wine.

“Would you like a glass?”

“I can’t… um, no thanks.” Ruki catches herself just in time. “Where’s grandmother?”

Rumiko sighs. “She’s gone off on another one of those group vacations of hers. It’s just me, as usual. It gets so lonely here sometimes.” She laments. “Are you sure you don’t want to move back here, honey?”

“Yeah, pretty sure.” Ruki says, maybe a tad too quickly. “I mean, it’s way too far from the office, and I’ve gotten used to Jen’s place, actually.”

“Such a nice boy.” Her mother comments. “It was so sweet of him to offer you that spare room. I remember how stressed out you were when you moved back here after college and you were stuck in traffic for an hour every morning.”

“It was a great offer, that’s for sure.” Ruki says because her mother expects her to say _something_.

“He really is a lovely boy, you know. I had a bit too much to drink during your birthday last year – oh, don’t look at me like that, I’ve apologized! – and I went on and on about how quiet the house is, since you’d moved out and your grandmother is always gone. The poor boy put up with my rambling for nearly an hour, and not only that, he’s even kept in touch with me ever since. Sometimes he calls me up just to check on me.” Rumiko babbles on, oblivious to her daughter’s sudden change in posture. This is news to Ruki. “I’ve told him before that he doesn’t have to keep calling, but he says it’s no trouble and he just makes sure to give me a quick ring right after he talks to his parents.”

Her mother’s eyes fall upon her with a sudden sharpness to them. “He’s such a sweet boy, Ruki. Are you sure you’re not interested? I mean, I’d never push you into anything, of course, but you’ve known each other since you were children, and you get along so well-“

“That’s actually why I’m here, Mother.” Ruki says a little too loudly, effectively cutting her mother off.

“Oh!” The elder Makino squeals, clasping her hands together in delight. “Did he ask you out? Finally? Ruki, did you say yes? Oh, of course you did, you wouldn’t be here otherwise!”

“Mother!” Ruki exclaims forcefully, putting a halt to Rumiko’s daydreams. “That’s not it.”

Rumiko remains silent for but a moment. “Then what is it, Ruki?”

“It…” Ruki struggles for words. “Promise me you’ll stay quiet and listen and won’t say a word until I’m done.”

Her mother nods eagerly and mimes the motion of zipping up her lips.

She rolls her eyes. It helps calm her down a bit, despite the nervous beat of her heart pounding erratically against her chest.

“Mom… I’m pregnant.” Her mother gasps but somehow manages to keep her thoughts to herself, for now at least. “Jen’s the father. That’s what I was talking about.” Short, blunt sentences seem to be the most effective, and the easiest to blurt out. “And we’re keeping the baby. I wasn’t sure at first, but this is what we both want. And I hope you can be okay with this.” 

When it becomes apparent that she’s said her piece, Rumiko smiles. “Can I speak now?”

“Oh,” Ruki says, taken aback and still nervous. “Go ahead.”

“Ruki!” Her mother squeals, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so happy for you!”

“You…” Ruki gasps into her mother’s hair. “You are?”

“Well,” Her mother releases her from the lung-crushing embrace. “If this is what you want, then yes.” She says simply, looking Ruki in the eye. “I hope you and Jen can work it out though, it’d be such a shame if your friendship is messed up because of… a one night stand or…” Rumiko hesitates, trying to be polite while subtly fishing for information.

“Mom!” Ruki exclaims, embarrassed. “It’s nothing like that. We’ve been together for ten years.”

“What?” It’s her mother’s turn to exclaim, complete with impossibly big, questioning eyes.

“Well, we didn’t really see it that way at first - or rather, I didn’t let him see it that way - but we’ve talked about it and decided that those years count too, so yes, we’ve been… dating,” She trips over the unfamiliar word; she’s never had to label her relationship with Jen and such a simple term seems odd and ill-fitting, somehow, “for ten years now.”

“That’s longer than your father and I were together, from our first date to the day we signed the divorce papers.” Rumiko comments, though her daughter doesn’t really see how that’s relevant to the current situation.

Ruki waits for more. Surely her mother has something else to say. Even if she’s okay with the baby, her revelation means that Ruki had lied to her mother and grandmother when she’d convinced them to let her move in with Jen. The only reason they’d finally agreed to it was because they had faith in both Ruki and Jen, and trusted them to behave themselves properly.

A minute passes and still her mother says nothing, just keeps smiling that happy smile at her. Rumiko looks dangerously close to shedding some happy tears.

“So…” Ruki begins hesitantly. She’s definitely pushing her luck here. Why not just accept her mother’s silence for acceptance and quickly excuse herself? “You’re okay with this? I mean, us having a baby without, you know, doing it the traditional way?” She almost winces at that. Oh, great, now she’s gone and opened that can of worms. She should just settle in and prepare herself for hours of her mother trying to talk her into getting married.

“Well,” Her mother laughs. “I’d be a hypocrite if I weren’t, Ruki.”

“What?”

Her mother reaches over and pats her hand. “We never told you this because I didn’t see the need to, but you aren’t actually a honeymoon baby.”

“You and Dad had a shotgun wedding?” Ruki blurts out.

“No!” Rumiko exclaims strongly. “No! It wasn’t at all like that. No matter what happened later on, your father and I actually did love each other when we got married. And we had no idea then. It was only a month _after_ the wedding that I found out.”

“You were conceived,” Ruki groans at the implications of her parents _conceiving_ her and her mother laughs at her childish antics. “Two weeks before the wedding. We didn’t say anything but everyone assumed otherwise, so we went ahead and let them think you were a honeymoon baby. And you had excellent timing. You were a week overdue, which no one could have expected. So we told everyone you were three weeks early instead, which placed you firmly within wedlock. No one ever suspected anything.”

“Wow, Mom.” Ruki says, reeling from her mother’s story. “I think you’ve managed to surprise me more than I surprised you.”

“Oh, believe me.” Rumiko smiles. “I am _very_ surprised. It’s just not showing that much because I’m happy as well as surprised, and I’m better at showing happiness.”

Ruki smiles back at her mother; it’s one of the warmest smiles she’s ever given Rumiko.

“Um, Mom,” She fidgets with the hem of her top. “Could you... not tell Grandmother? I’d rather tell her myself.”

“Of course, Ruki.” Her mother agrees easily.

They sit in silence for a while longer, but it soon grows uncomfortable. As much as she loves her mother, they’ve just never been that close. And while she can happily deal with prolonged periods of silence, her mother feels awkward and uncomfortable if conversation isn’t constantly flowing, and it shows in the way she keeps opening her mouth, trying to fill the silence with something, and then abruptly pressing her lips together, deciding not to say whatever words she’d been on the verge of sharing.

“I, uh, I should go. Jen and the others are waiting for me.”

“Oh!” Her mother brightens up. “Are they outside?”

“Um, no. They’re at the park.” Ruki explains.

“Was Jen too scared to come along?” Her mother teases as she gets to her feet to walk Ruki out.

“Not _too_ scared…” Ruki mumbles under her breath. “No,” She says to her mother. “He wanted to be here, actually. I just thought it would be better if I came alone.”

Her mother smiles knowingly. “You were scared I’d start screaming at him, weren’t you?”

They reach the main part of the house. “Well, not screaming, exactly, but…”

Rumiko sighs. “I know I haven’t done much to gain your confidence, Ruki, so I understand why you might have been hesitant to come to me. But it means the world to me that you would willingly tell me this, honey, and I’m so happy.”

She doesn’t tell her mother that she’d only planned on telling her grandmother first; it seems an unnecessary cruelty to the smiling woman. Instead, she hugs her.

Ruki can count on one hand the number of times she’s initiated contact with her mother, and apparently her mother knows how out of character this is as well. Rumiko savors the moment in silence, holding her daughter close for as long as she’ll let herself be held.

She finds more comfort in her mother’s arms than she’d thought possible, and they remain that way for a long time. Eventually, careful not to push Ruki too far, her mother pulls away. She tucks back a strand of Ruki’s hair, straightens her clothes and wipes away a non-existent smudge on her face.

“Come back soon, okay? And bring that boyfriend of yours.” Rumiko’s mischievous smile is overshadowed by her bright eyes as she holds back tears, but it is a valiant attempt, nonetheless.

“Okay.” Ruki laughs, fighting against tears of her own. She inhales deeply to compose herself. “Okay.” She says again when she’s convinced she has her emotions under control.

“I’ll see you soon, Mom.” She promises, and her mother gives her one last smile before she vanishes back into the house. It’s better that way; Ruki hates the idea of her mother just standing there, watching her daughter leave.

Renamon appears by her side as soon as she’s out of the gate.

“That went well.” The fox comments.

“Were you spying on me?” Ruki asks suspiciously.

“Not spying,” Renamon corrects. “Observing, so that I would know when to step in if necessary.”

“And I suppose Jen was perfectly fine with that plan.” Her Tamer states.

The fox does not bother to validate her guess; they both know she’s right. Instead, Renamon places a hand on Ruki’s shoulder and they vanish.

Ruki keeps her eyes closed, putting enough faith in Renamon to navigate them through the shadow world. The next time she opens her eyes, she finds Jen’s staring back at her. Around them, the park is filled with families making the most of their Saturdays.

“So?” Jen asks anxiously.

Ruki laughs. “Guess what? My mom doesn’t want to kill you, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not know where to end this chapter. I’m sorry if it cuts off too abruptly. 
> 
> Also, things will start moving faster now. As of next chapter, each part of the story will have minor time jumps between chapters. We’re talking two, three weeks at a time, so don’t worry about me skipping the entire pregnancy or anything like that. Worry about me spending the entire story writing about the pregnancy, instead.
> 
> Read! Review! Ramble on and on about this ship because they are so perfect and I ship it so hard and I HAVE ALL THESE FEELS.


	6. Five

**FIVE**

* * *

“They’ve been in there _forever_.” Terriermon whines.

“Forty-seven minutes is not forever.” Renamon says patiently from her spot under a large tree. She has made herself comfortable under its shade while Terriermon hops from branch to branch, stopping occasionally to flop to the ground next to Renamon and voice his impatience.

“It’s pretty close, if you ask me. What are they even doing in there?”

“Now that Ruki and Jen have decided to keep the child, they will need to attend frequent sessions with a doctor to make sure everything is going well.” The fox repeats what Ruki told her last night.

Terriermon hops down to the ground. “I still can’t believe they’re having one of those things.” He says, pointing out a passing stroller. “It’s going to be like having Culumon over _all the time_. Goodbye, lazy weekends and late mornings.” He sighs mournfully.

“Only if we’re lucky,” Renamon answers to her friend’s comparison between a human child and Culumon.

“And if we’re not?” Terriermon asks, eyes curious and wary.

Renamon smirks. “Then it will be like having two of you.”

“Hey!” Terriermon cries, though he takes no real offense at the joke the fox has made at his expense. He studies Renamon with a rare thoughtful look on his face. “Sometimes I don’t know if I should be insulted by your jokes or honored that you share them with me.”

The taller Digimon considers her companion’s words for a moment, but they’re both interrupted before she can settle on a reply.

“Well, well. Fancy meeting you two here.”

“Impmon!” Terriermon greets happily. “What are you doing here?”

“Trying to entertain myself and failing miserably, of course. This one-horse town grows duller by the year, doesn’t it?” The newcomer smirks, standing on a nearby bench.

“I don’t think this counts as a one-horse town…” Terriermon muses. “Right, Renamon?”

The fox nods. “Shinjuku is designated a special ward of the Tokyo metropolis and houses key administrative buildings of the government. It is also home to the busiest train station in the world.” She recites, earning herself some odd looks.

“Does she have all this stuff memorized?” Impmon stage-whispers to Terriermon.

“I think she spends all day on Wikipedia.” Terriermon returns in the same sotto voce tone.

Renamon does not seem outwardly amused by their exchange but if one knows to look for it, there are small signs that give her away. The tiniest hint of a smile tugs at her lips and her eyes aren’t slanted in their usual narrow, calculating gaze. There had been a time when she’d shown emotions only around Ruki, but as her Tamer’s relationship with Jenrya had grown, that bubble had expanded to include Jen and Terriermon. As the years passed, her smiles became a more frequent sight to all the Tamers and Digimon in their circle, and one could, upon very rare occasions, find her laughing along with the others if a particularly funny situation arose. Those were _extremely_ rare occasions, however.

“It’s no fun if you’re not going to let us bait you into an insult match.” Impmon tells her, crossing his arms. Renamon spares him a quick glance before her eyes return to the main entrance of the hospital. Jen and Ruki should be coming out soon.

Impmon shivers. “Brr,” he mocks, “it’s like I’m talking to the Ice Queen here.”

Terriermon frowns. “Hey, be nice!” He chides, sticking up for Renamon.

Her eyes still focused upon the hospital, Renamon addresses the rabbit. “It is alright, Terriermon. Impmon shows fondness by antagonizing his friends. It is done with no real malice; it is simply an emotional and social handicap.”

“There we go!” Impmon claps his hands together at the fox’s blunt statement of his faults. “Ouch, that one almost hurt.”

“I am glad to be a worthy opponent.” Renamon states flatly. Terriermon’s eyes flit from one Digimon to the other.

“You two are almost as confusing as humans.”

He’s ready for Impmon to rant at him for comparing him to a human, but Ruki and Jen emerge right then. Ruki is carefully tucking something away in her bag while Jen keeps a hand on her back, guiding her across the road.

“Impmon,” He greets with a note of surprise. “What brings you to the hospital?”

“Oh, is that what this place is?” Impmon drawls, feigning ignorance. “Well, I’ll leave you four to it, then.” To Renamon, he says, “Give me some time, fox. I’ll be prepared with more burns the next time we meet.”

“If one needs that long to build a fire, perhaps one has no business wielding flames in the first place.” Renamon retorts evenly.

“And that’s a scoreboard of Renamon – 2, Impmon – 0!” Terriermon announces.

“Hey, I’ve got one point!” Impmon protests. “The Ice Queen thing!”

Terriermon shakes his head. “Nope. That was so lazy, it doesn’t even count. Better luck next time, trickster.”

“Beginner’s luck.” He mutters to Renamon before turning to Ruki and Jen; the couple has donned matching looks that hint at equal measures of confusion and amusement.

“My felicitations on your new addition.” Impmon says courteously, though it’s delivered as a drawl and is infused with a tiny amount of sarcasm. The latter, though, is customary to Impmon even when he is at his most sincere.

Terriermon puts into words the question they’re all asking themselves. “Hey, how’d you find ou-”

“You honestly thought I wouldn’t eavesdrop on the two of you?”

And with that, Impmon jumps up into a tree. They track his movement from branch to branch, gaining altitude until he can swing his way onto a telephone pole and from there, a rooftop.

“Well.” Ruki says after a moment of silence. “Some Digimon never change, I guess.”

Renamon acknowledges her words with a barely-noticeable smirk. “Are you ready to leave?” She asks, directing the question to both Tamers.

The only appointment the OB/GYN had been able to give Ruki on such short notice had been one-thirty in the afternoon, and Renamon had offered to transport everyone over rather than have Jen drive to the hospital in midday traffic and then rush back to the office.

“Yes,” Ruki decides. “We should get back now; Yamaki wants me in his office in half an hour.”

“Didn’t you tell the office you’ll be out?” Jen asks as they all huddle together. Renamon places a hand on Ruki’s shoulder while Jen’s hand remains on her back, and Terriermon wraps his ears around his Tamer’s neck.

“I just told them I was in the mood for a long lunch.” Ruki says before they all close their eyes and let Renamon guide them back.

They appear in the parking lot and Terriermon hops to the ground as soon as they materialize. “Ugh,” he groans, “that place always gives me the creeps.”

“What do you mean?” Jen’s eyebrows furrow in concern as he picks his Digimon up.

“We don't feel anything. It’s like we’re here one second and there the next.” Ruki adds, eyes fixed on the small rabbit.

“Digimon are more aware of the shadow world,” Renamon explains. “We can feel the nothing that it is, the winds that threaten to lead you off-world with their whispers. We can hear those who have lost their way and those who choose to make it their home. It is… not for everyone.”

“That’s putting it mildly but yeah, what she said. Especially the wind and the creepy lost ones.” Terriermon nods, still curled up in Jen’s arms.

“Is that why so few Digimon travel the way you do?” Jen asks Renamon, his interest growing. Renamon’s unique method of transportation has been such a common part of his everyday life that he’s never really thought to question the way it works.

“It plays a role, yes. But few Digimon are granted this ability in the first place. Of those few, only half of us grow strong enough to navigate the shadows on a regular basis. Some give up as soon as they hear the winds. Some learn too much about that world after years of traveling, and choose to turn their backs on it.”

“You’ve never told me any of this.” Ruki says to her partner, careful to keep any hint of accusation out of her voice. She’s merely curious, and a bit concerned.

“You never asked, and it is not something to speak of unless prompted.”

Ruki shrugs as they pile into the lift. “As long as you’re fine with the winds and the creepy things.”

“There might come a day when the whispers grow too familiar for me, but it is a day far from now.” Renamon assures her.

“Oh, look,” Terriermon says. “Renamon’s back to talking in her mysterious way again.”

“Hush, you.” Jen chides as they reach his floor.

“We’ll see you three later, I suppose.” He grins, kissing Ruki on the cheek as he brushes a hand across her stomach.

“Thanks for the ride, Renamon!” Terriermon calls out as they exit the lift, and the door closes to the image of the rabbit waving his little hand.

Ruki turns to her partner, hoping to question her further on the shadow world and how concerned she should be, but her phone starts ringing just as they arrive at the right floor.

It’s Juri, and she decides to take it if only because it will discourage people from stopping her on her way back to her office to ask her a dozen questions and try to pass their files to her for approval. She’s in a rush as it is; her meeting with Yamaki is in twenty minutes.

“Hello?”

“ _Well?”_ Juri skips all pleasantries. “ _How did it go?”_

“Fine, I guess.” Ruki says simply, looking around to see if anyone’s watching her. No one appears to be listening in on her conversation, so she continues in a lower, cautious tone. “The baby is okay.”

“ _Oh,”_ Juri sighs happily. “ _That’s good to hear.”_

“Yeah,” She agrees as Renamon holds the door open for her. “That’s one less thing to worry about.”

_“Exactly. Hey, I was wondering: are you going to tell the guys?”_

Ruki slides into her chair and sifts through files to locate the report she’d typed out after their recent meeting with a group of doctors looking into organ replication. She has a feeling that’s why Yamaki wants to see her. “You mean Takato and Tweedles Dee and Dum?”

_“Play nice!”_ Juri laughs. _“I know you don’t mind them_ that _much.”_

“I don’t,” She admits. “But I don’t actually like them, either. Not enough to put up with their reactions to this, anyway. Jen can tell them the next time he has lunch with them.”

_“I could do it, if you’d like_.” Juri offers. _“I’m having dinner with them tonight.”_

She finally locates the file. Of course it had been the last one in the biggest pile. “Sure, go ahead. I’m sure you’ll muster up more excitement than I would.”

_“Oh, don’t say that, Ruki. You’re doing fine with this. We all know you’re happy about the baby, you just don’t show it that much, is all.”_

“Yeah, and to some people that means I’m not happy at all.” Ruki mutters. And then, before Juri can try to defend her from herself, “Juri, can I call you back later? I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes.”

_“Sure._ ” Juri agrees. _“I’ll let you know how it goes tonight?”_

Ruki doesn’t actually care how it goes; Kenta could get up on the table and start singing an ode to her unborn child and she wouldn’t give a damn. “Yeah, thanks,” She says instead because it seems like the right thing to say. “Talk to you later."

“ _Bye!_ ” Juri says brightly right before she hangs up. Ruki’s got just enough time to stop by the restroom before she heads up to Yamaki’s office.

“You don’t have to come along,” She tells Renamon. “It’ll probably just be half an hour of me rehashing the meeting.”

Renamon nods. “I will be here, in that case.”

“Try not to read all of Wikipedia,” She teases as she opens the door.

“I make no promises but it is highly unlikely, given that they claim to have millions of articles.”

“Don’t get too excited but: it’s not a claim. They actually _do_ have millions of pages.” Ruki tells her with a grin, standing by the door.

“In that case, I amend my earlier sentence: it is _entirely_ unlikely that I will read all of Wikipedia while you are away.” Renamon says. It takes her a while to find it but there, a hint of humor hiding under her Digimon’s flat tone.

“Bye, Renamon.” The door closes behind her before Renamon can return her goodbye. She makes her way back to the lift and her brisk pace, along with the file in her hand, seems to be enough to keep her staff from slowing her down. She catches the lift just as it’s rising up to her floor and finds herself alone while she rides six floors up.

“He’ll be ready for you in five minutes.” A woman tells Ruki upon spotting her.

She nods in acknowledgement “Thanks. I’ll just hurry to the restroom.”

The woman smiles. Ruki should probably know her name but then again, she doesn’t look like the same secretary she’d been greeted by the last time Yamaki had summoned her. Secretaries don’t tend to last very long here. They come from their normal, quiet, relatively simple stints as P.A. to so and so, or secretary to this CEO or that Director, and then run as fast as they can to get away when they realize they’re not up for a job with odd hours and sudden emergencies, along with situations that sometimes have the fate of the world riding on the outcome.

She’s back in four minutes and has just enough time to sit down and look poised and collected when Yamaki opens his door.

“Miss Makino,” He says formally. “Come in.”

She takes a seat without waiting for him to offer and slides him the file. “Report and notes on our meeting with Prometheus.”

“Seriously?” Her boss questions, the air of formality dropped as soon as the door shuts behind them. Boss or not, the fact remains that he’s known her since she was a little girl and that makes them friends, at the very least.

“They’re the organ people. Surely you can see the appeal in naming themselves after the Titan who regenerates a liver every evening?”

“I suppose,” Yamaki flips through the report. “But still: _Prometheus?_ ”

“This coming from the man who named an Ark after Sigurd’s horse.”

“Steed.” He corrects her. “Grani was a _steed_ , and a magnificent one at that.”

Ruki smirks. “I rest my case.”

“Fine, fine.” Yamaki concedes, pushing the file away. “Sometimes I go a bit overboard with the mythology.”

“Nerd.” She teases.

“Enough of that. I didn’t actually call you here about… Prometheus.” There’s still a hint of disdain in his voice and Ruki considers calling him out on it, but Yamaki seems to have serious business to discuss.

“We need you to bring someone in.”

“You haven’t had me on the strike team in a while.” Ruki says with a hint of surprise.

“And that’s not changing. I don’t need you to apprehend anyone; I need you to recruit someone for Hypnos.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve done that,” Ruki comments. “But I’m up for it. Who do you want me to drag here?”

Yamaki smirks.

“Akiyama.”

“What?” Ruki scowls. “Oh, no, you are freaking kidding me.”

“I’m afraid not, Ruki. We need you to bring him in. Hypnos was content to let Akiyama operate on his own in the past, so long as he did good deeds and convinced the public that Digimon can work alongside our kind to help people. But we’ve kept track of him, and he’s been taking on high-risk situations lately. In the past everything was black and white, and he was clearly on the lighter spectrum of things. But things aren’t always so easy, as he’s now learning. There have been a few instances of him almost choosing the wrong side. If he makes a single mistake and somehow ends up helping the bad guys instead of the good guys, there will be no anime we can produce and no PR stunt we can stage to turn public opinion on Digimon back around.”

She can see Yamaki’s point, and she understands his concern. But still, Ryo is a royal pain in the ass, one she’d rather not have in her office on a daily basis. “What can Hypnos do?”

“We will let him go on as usual, but he will take a team with him at all times. He won’t have to share the glory if he wants to maintain his hero image, but the team will keep him from rushing into situations and will communicate with us to make sure they know exactly what’s going on and whose side they’re supposed to be on.”

“Bloody self-titled noble knight and his running around,” Ruki mutters. “And I guess there’s no possibility of me delegating this?”

“When I brought you in, Ruki, you asked me for your job description.” Yamaki reminds her. “You serve the combined interests of Hypnos and the Digital World; that was and still is your job. And the best way for you to do that job right now is to track down Akiyama, get on a plane and drag him back here kicking and screaming if you have to. Or that fool is going to ruin everything we’ve worked for.”

“Fine,” Ruki sighs. “I’ll do it. No promises on _when_ I’ll actually drag him back. Where is he, anyway?”

Yamaki hands her a file he’s just retrieved from one of his drawers. “Here’s everything we have on him right now. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Until then, you’re free to put together a team from your department and get them to focus on this until he’s been brought in.”

“Right away, captain.” Ruki mock-salutes him and picks up the file. “Will that be it, boss?”

“Actually,” Yamaki says casually. “I hear congratulations might be in order.”

Ruki pales. “How did yo-”

“I have four sisters, Ruki, and I’ve been there throughout all of their pregnancies. I can see the signs, trust me.”

She treads carefully. “You’re one of the most observant people I know, sir, but somehow I’m having trouble believing that you figured it out on your own.”

“Well,” Yamaki gives in. “The four sisters thing is true, but my suspicions were confirmed when Reika called earlier to tell me she’d just seen you and Jenrya in the OB/GYN department at the hospital.”

“What was she doing there?”

“Just visiting a friend,” He says dismissively. “So, it’s true?”

“Yes,” Ruki admits. “I’m pregnant. You can’t tell anyone, Yamaki.” She quickly adds. “Jen hasn’t told his father and news spreads in this building as fast as the D-Reaper.”

“I can keep a secret, Ruki.” He assures her. “Pass my congratulations along to Jen, will you?”

“Yeah,” Ruki sighs in relief. “Sure. Thanks. I’ll just be on my way then.” She hurriedly excuses herself.

“Ruki,” Yamaki calls just before she opens the door. “I expect to see a request for maternity leave _before_ you go into labor, understood?”

She turns back to him with a questioning look.

“I may have four sisters, but sometimes I think of you as the fifth. And I will not have you working until the last possible second. Is that clear?”

“As crystal,” Ruki affirms. “You’re not going to try to pull the intimidating older-brother routine on Jen, are you?” She jokes, her way of acknowledging and accepting what he’s just said about seeing her as a sister.

“It’s a bit too late for that, don’t you think?” Yamaki smirks with a pointed look at her stomach.

Ruki rolls her eyes. “And that’s my cue to leave. Bye!”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

“He wants you to _what_?” Jen asks later that night as they get ready for bed.

“Talk Ryo into working for Hypnos. It’s crazy, I know.”

Jen tries to towel out the last few drops of water in his hair. “Well, not _that_ crazy. Are you going to do it?”

“He’s somewhere in Taiwan, hiding out for a bit. I’ve got people on stand-by to send him a message as soon as he returns to civilization.” She picks up the remote and starts channel-surfing.

“I can’t even remember how long it’s been since we last saw him,” Jen muses as he gets into bed next to her.

“Nowhere near long enough, that’s how long it’s been.” She mutters.

He shoots her a curious look. “Hey, Ruki?”

“Yeah?” Her voice is distracted, with her attention still fixed upon the TV as channels blink in and out.

“Why do you hate him so much, anyway?” Jen asks. “I never did get it. And _don’t_ tell me it’s because he beat you at cards once.”

Ruki sighs and turns off the TV. “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous. That’s part of it, yes, but I disliked Ryo even before I knew that was him. And before you say anything: I _dislike_ him, not hate him.” She clarifies in an attempt to sound less childish.

“It’s just the way he swooped in and how everyone treated him as a hero, and the way he acted after, expecting me to say thank you. You know I don’t do well with being rescued, especially when I _did not need_ rescuing.” Even after all these years, she’s still adamant about that. “Ryo was everything in a boy that I hated, basically. And he was the kind of boy my mother always told me would drop into my life, save me and carry me off into the sunset. So yeah, I had a strong urge to hurl him into the sunset as soon as I met him. Or the sun itself.”

Jen laughs. “Seriously? You wanted to kill him just because you thought he might be your Prince Charming?”

“No!” Ruki scowls. “I just… I don’t know. My mom always seemed so convinced when she told me those stupid stories of hers and her daydreams for my future, so it was wired into my rebellious brain to crush any possibility of that future coming true, I guess. It had nothing to do with Ryo personally; I’d have acted the same way no matter what.”

“But it certainly seems personal now.” Jen prods at her.

“That’s where the cards thing comes into play.” Ruki mumbles. “Have I ever told you how I got into Digimon cards?”

“Actually, no.” He marvels at the fact that he’d never actually gotten around to figuring that out. “I thought of asking you a few times but never did, for some reason.”

“Okay,” Ruki begins. “This is two, maybe three years after my father left. There was a summer when my mom was dragged into a media circus and because the girls in my class were being nasty about it, I ended up hanging out with my cousin and his friends instead.”

“Is this that one time when a director accused your mom of sleeping around to get all of her modelling jobs?” Jen asks, referring to the only scandal Rumiko has been involved in to date.

“Exactly.” Ruki nods; she figures either her mom’s told Jen about this or he remembers the whole thing from way back in the day. It had been a huge scandal and almost all of Shinjuku had heard of it. “So you know how it all went down: eventually, the director’s assistant, who was sick of his bullshit, put out footage of the original meeting so everyone could see for themselves how the director threatened to ruin my mom’s reputation for turning him down.”

Jen nods; he remembers how fickle the tabloids had been, accusing Rumiko of being talentless and manipulative one week and then calling her an innocent victim the next. He’s never really bothered to keep up with these things but back then, as a bored child waiting in line at the supermarket with his mother, he’d scanned through all of the bright, attention-grabbing magazine covers.

“So,” Ruki says, leading them back to her story. “I spent the summer with a cousin I didn’t even know I had. It was pretty awkward at first, because we’d never even met, but he tried to help me fit in. After I spent the first day just sitting in a corner, watching them play cards, he tossed a deck at me and asked me to come back the next day. He never said anything about it, and no one offered to teach me. I just kept coming back day after day, and I’d sit in the corner and watch them. Two weeks later, one of them challenged me to a match.”

“He came to regret it, I assume.” Jen laughs, picturing nine-year-old Ruki kicking a boy’s butt at cards in her very first match. He reaches over to turn on the lamp on his nightstand.

Ruki shakes her head as she gets out of bed and walks to the door to switch off the lights. “Not immediately. I actually lost four matches and he was about to give up on me, I could tell. But during those four matches, I was slowly picking up on the little things I’d missed out on while sitting in a corner. I won the fifth match, and the sixth. The next day, three other people challenged me. I won every match.” There’s a note of pride in her voice as she slips back under the covers. _Digimon Queen_ has always been a title Ruki holds dear.

“Some boys were bitter, of course, but my cousin and his closest friends encouraged me. They said I was a natural, and unbelievably good. They even talked me into signing up for the tournament. It was the first time in my life that I felt like I’d earned a compliment.” She admits after a hesitant pause. “They weren’t praising me for my mother’s looks or my father’s brains, my grandmother’s manners or my grandfather’s strong will. Without me realizing, those cards became a huge part of my identity.”

“When the tournament came around, my cousin and three of his friends went with me. They were out of the game fairly early but they stuck around to support me, and the four of them cheered louder than Ryo’s band of supporters when I placed second… which was a bit embarrassing.” Ruki smiles fondly at the memory, but her lips quickly curve downward.

“It didn’t matter to me though. All that mattered was that I’d finally found something I was good at but I wasn’t the best. I wasn’t number one. And I let that eat away at me until the next year, when I won. By then, I didn’t find any joy in the game the way I had at first; I just wanted to prove myself. It was the beginning of the path I was on when you guys first met me.”

Ruki sighs. “So you can see why I wasn’t thrilled when Hirokazu rubbed Ryo’s victory in my face. I hadn’t even recognized him at first; I was too busy being pissed at him. But then that idiot just had to recognize Ryo and start gushing about him. It was too much for me, plus I was already in a bad mood because we’d gotten lost again. So I walked off. And that ended up becoming a defining moment for my friendship with Ryo.” She finishes.

Jen tries to sound supportive. “Under those circumstances, I think I’d hate him too.” He offers to Ruki.

She bursts out laughing. “There’s no way you’d ever hate someone for childish reasons like mine,” Ruki points out. “But thanks for saying that anyway.”

“Anytime,” Jen offers, leaning over to kiss her. As she settles into bed, he turns around to switch off the lamp, the last remaining source of light in their room. Ruki moves closer and rests her head on his chest.

They remain that way for a while, until Jen gathers enough courage from the darkness to speak up. “Do you want to buy a house?”

“What?” Ruki asks quietly, her eyes closed. He wraps an arm around her waist.

“It’s just…” She hasn’t heard him sound this nervous in a while. “I mean, if we’re going to do this, we can do it the proper way… if you want.” He’s quick to add. “Get a house, paint the walls for a nursery, things like that.”

“I don’t think we need a house for that,” Ruki lifts her head and props it up with a hand so that she can shoot him a reassuring smile to ease his nerves. “Besides, your parents lived here up until they were expecting Shiuchon, right?”

Jen doesn’t remember much of his earlier years in this apartment. His family moved out when he was pretty young. “It was a tight fit already, having three kids running around here.” He relays to Ruki what his parents once told him. “Rinchei and I were sharing a room and my grandparents had to share with Jaarin whenever they came over. So as soon as my parents found out they had another kid on the way, they decided to upsize.”

“Still,” Ruki says right before she yawns. “Your parents made it work with three kids. We’ve only got one, for now. I think we can stay here.”

“For now?” Jen echoes.

“Hmm?” Ruki hums, her head resting on his chest once more. He has a feeling she might be half-asleep at this point.

“Ruki, you said we’ve only got one kid _for now_.” He repeats her words. When she fails to say anything, he asks her, very hesitantly, “Do you want more?”

She’s quiet for a long moment. “I remember days as a child when I saw siblings arguing over one thing or another, and I was glad I didn’t have to deal with that.” Ruki says quietly. “But those days weren’t as often as the ones when all I wanted in the world was a brother or sister, and I felt so lonely it hurt.”

He releases her when she pushes against the hand on her waist and watches her sit up, cross-legged, to face him. “I’m not saying yes,” Ruki tells him slowly, carefully. “But if we’re going to do this anyway…” She cuts herself off.

“I think I’d do anything to keep our child from feeling as lonely as I did.”

Jen pulls her back down to his side.

“Let’s just wait and see how things go, okay?” He suggests, kissing her temple.

“Okay.” Ruki agrees as she tugs on the blanket and arranges it so that it’s covering both of them.

“Besides, I’ve still got to go through labor and see if that’s something I’m willing to go through twice.”

He winces at the thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last third of this chapter might not be up to par. I could feel my mind wandering as I wrote it and I revisited it a few times to see if there was anything I could fix, but this is the best I can come up with right now, it seems.
> 
> Some news: after this is over (tentatively a month from now, if all goes to plan), I plan on doing a few outtakes. One scene I’ll definitely be writing is the big fight both Jen and Renamon have brought up so far. Another I’m contemplating is a short scene of Juri telling the guys about the baby over dinner. I don’t think I’ll be doing many of these; maybe three of them, five at most. But if you guys have any suggestions or requests, let me know and I’ll see what I can do.


	7. Six

**SIX**

* * *

A month after Yamaki first assigned her to Ryo’s case, there’s a knock on her door.

“Yes?” She calls, prompting a young woman to open the door and reveal herself.

“Ma’am,” Hana, the girl Ruki has personally tasked with leading the Akiyama search, addresses her. “We’ve just made contact.”

“ _Finally_ ,” She snaps but refrains from rolling her eyes. It’s not her staff she’s frustrated at; they’ve been more than competent. She’s just annoyed that things have taken so long. “When?”

“Five minutes ago,” Hana offers. “I came to you as soon as the call was over.”

“You passed my message along, then?” Ruki asks, pulling the relevant files out of her drawer. In the four weeks it’s taken to smoke Ryo out, she and Yamaki have come up with a detailed job offer for him. It should be irresistible, as long as Ryo isn’t in the mood to be contrary just for the sake of it.

“Yes, ma’am. He will meet you two hours from now, in the café you specified.”

It’s thirty-seven minutes past ten; she’ll set aside half an hour for travel, which leaves her with an hour and a half to herself. “Alright, then. As discussed, I’ll need tickets for tonight, one-way. Drop them off at my desk as soon as possible, please.” She goes over the plan in her mind one last time, checking to see if there’s anything else she needs. That should be it. “Is that all, Hana?”

“I believe so.”

“You’re excused, then. Oh, and Hana?” Ruki calls right as the young woman turns around to leave her office.

“Thank you for your help. You’ve all done a great job.” She offers the girl a smile; it’s mostly the truth, but the smile is to make up for the _finally_ she’d snapped out earlier. “Pass that along to the rest of the team, will you?”

Hana falters for a brief moment. Ruki knows her reputation in the office – she’s not cruel or rude, and she’s not the worst boss out there. The people in her office think of her as fair and just, but _friendly_ and _encouraging_ are not words they would associate with their boss. A smile _and_ a compliment given together is unheard of and perhaps, unprecedented.

“I will,” Hana nods jerkily. “You’re welcome, ma’am.” She adds before she nearly flees from the office.

Ruki sighs. “Smile at them or snap at them, they’re terrified either way. _And_ she forgot to close the door.”

Renamon appears at that very moment and shuts the door.

“Thanks,” Ruki smiles. “What have you been up to?”

“Jenrya’s department had a few questions on the deserts in our world. I offered some answers.” Renamon informs her, taking a seat opposite her Tamer.

“Oh. They didn’t send you back to scout or anything, did they?” She’d run into Reika a few days ago and the older woman had mentioned certain disturbances in the Digital World. Reika still holds the same position she had all those years ago, and spends most of her time at the office hidden away on the highest floor, monitoring both worlds.

“No. Most everyone has been made aware of the disturbances and Jen was adamant that I need not feel obligated to travel there.” Renamon reaches out for the tablet her partner passes her and nods her thanks. Jen had gotten her one after Terriermon mentioned how frequently his friend uses Ruki’s computer, and Renamon had quickly learned how to use it. The only way for her to navigate a touch screen, though, is with a stylus pen.

Ruki watches her turn it on with a fond smile. In the earlier years of their friendship, she’d just thought of Renamon as an all-knowing creature who absorbed information without needing to seek it out. As the years passed and things settled down, she’d finally discovered Renamon’s second love: learning. Battle is an art form to her and it is as much her nature as it is any other Digimon’s but she’s as happy with an encyclopedia as she is with a worthy opponent, and Ruki finds it very amusing and endearing.

“I’m off to see Jen for a bit; we’re meeting Ryo in an hour or so.” Ruki tells her partner before the fox gets lost in her own little world. “I’ll be back soon.”

Renamon nods. “I will be here.”

She takes her leave of Renamon then and leaves her partner to her own devices. On her way to the lift, she passes by Hana’s desk.

“I’m about to print the tickets.” Hana informs her.

“You can leave them on my desk; Renamon is in my office.” She adds, just to warn the girl. Everyone loves Terriermon but most people are just a bit spooked by Renamon. It might have something to do with the way she can see right through a person and make you shake with fear even when you’ve done nothing wrong. But it’s most probably because of the way she’s always appearing out of thin air.

Hana nods calmly even as her eyes widen just a tiny bit at the information, and promises Ruki she will have everything in order for her trip.

Ruki crosses the floor with no other interruptions and the two other people in the lift remain silent after greeting her politely. She’s the first to leave and she wishes them a nice day as she walks out. At this point, she’s on autopilot, trusting her feet to lead her to the far end of the floor where Jen’s claimed a small, abandoned corner as his workspace. Everyone else prefers to work in the main area of the floor, with dozens of cubicles lined up next to each other. She passes these cubicles now, nodding in acknowledgement whenever someone says hello.

She’s just about to turn to the left when someone calls her name.

“Ruki!” Janyu booms, and she freezes in her tracks. She’s managed to avoid Jen’s father so far and had been hoping to keep doing so until Jen could gather up the nerve to tell his family about the baby. Her hand automatically reaches for her stomach, though she manages to stop herself just in time and have it land on her other arm instead so that she’s almost blocking her stomach from view. She’s flooded with immense relief over the fact that she’s not showing yet.

“Mr. Lee,” She smiles, turning around.

“What nonsense is that?” The older man says dismissively as he approaches her. “I’ve told you, it’s either Janyu or Uncle.”

“Jenrya still calls my mother Mrs. Makino.” Ruki counters quickly, earning herself a laugh.

“Well, if you’re still calling my son Jenrya then clearly I’ve no hope of getting you to address me less formally.”

That had been a calculated move on her part, actually; she almost always calls him Jenrya when they’re with others or when referring to him in a conversation with those who remain oblivious to their relationship. A genuine smile lights up her face as Janyu laughs.

“So, Ruki,” He finally says. “What brings you down here to our little madhouse?”

It’s an… affectionate nickname for this floor that houses most of the original Wild Bunch and the next generation of geniuses crazy enough to make another world their playground.

“I’m down here to see Jen, actually.” She says, holding up a file she’s brought along as a decoy. “I need his report before I can send this up to Yamaki.”

Janyu frowns. “Is he late? I’d hate for him to delay your work.”

“Oh, no,” Ruki quickly assures him, hoping her fake reason isn’t going to get Jen into any trouble with his father. “He’s early, actually. I’m just about done with my half but he just called and said he’s finished with his report.”

“That’s good,” Janyu smiles. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. I just wanted to let you know Shiuchon’s coming back for a visit and we were hoping you’d come to dinner sometime next week. You know how she likes to have everyone around, for old times’ sake.”

“That sounds lovely.” Ruki lies. She’s fond of Shiuchon, she really is, but this is a bad idea for two reasons. First of all, she’s actively trying to _avoid_ Jen’s family. And second, if the Lees are really going to have _everyone_ around, they’re screwed. Because four other people in their group know of this little secret now, along with a few Digimon who can’t keep a secret to save their lives, and there’s no way all of them will somehow manage not to let the cat out of the bag.

“I’ll have Jen pass you the details when we settle on a date, then.” The older man says and she agrees before they say their goodbyes. She’s too busy looking over her shoulder to see if Janyu is still around to notice where she’s going, and runs straight into Jen.

“I just spoke to your father,” She hisses quietly.

“Why are you whispering?” Jen asks in the same tone, his arms reaching out to steady her.

“Because!” Ruki says in a normal voice. “How much longer can we hide this, Jen? People are going to notice sooner or later. In this case, it’s definitely sooner. All the books say women start showing after the first trimester and guess which milestone I just passed?”

“I know,” Jen sighs, pulling her close enough to bury his face in her hair. “I just… I highly doubt they’re going to take it as well as your mom.”

“They’ll still take it better than they would if we just show up at their house six months from now and say, _guess who’s got a new grandchild?_ ” Ruki isn’t even coming up with an original scenario; that’s an actual idea Jen had suggested a few nights ago.

“Just… a little while longer, Ruki.” He requests, looking her in the eye. “Please?”

She gives him a curious look. “What’s going to change in _a little while_ that you’ll be willing to tell them?”

Jen drops eye contact and turns away almost immediately. “I've got it figured out - trust me. There's... a plan.”

"A plan?" Ruki echoes dubiously, amusement coloring her voice.

"A plan," He affirms with a nod. "Just go with me on this, okay?"

“Fine," She sighs after a few unsuccessful attempts to catch his eye and guilt him into telling her. "You're not going to tell me what it is, are you?"

“Nope,” Jen smiles, bouncing back to his usual demeanor. “Are we still on for dinner tonight?”

He is adamant that they go out and celebrate her passing the first trimester tonight, and Ruki’s actually okay with the idea of going out now that most of her morning sickness has magically disappeared. Jen had suggested it yesterday, after their second appointment with the doctor. More sonogram pictures were printed, of course, and they were able to listen to the baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

“Yeah, I should be back in time.” Ruki says. Jen shoots her a questioning look, prompting her to explain. “The team finally managed to get a message to Ryo; I’m meeting him in an hour. That’s actually why I came down to see you.”

“Really?” Jen looks impressed. “I thought he was never coming out of hiding.” Ryo’s unique career choice has managed to piss off several dangerous people and painted a big, red target on his back. It’s partly why Ruki is convinced it’ll be easy to talk him into accepting Hypnos’ offer, which comes with a back-up team.

“Well, he took his own sweet time.” She mutters. “I’m meeting him in Taiwan, that little café we went to the last time we were there.”

“That was… what, seven months ago?” A portal had shown up in the country and the two of them, along with a team, had been sent to deal with the issue. “You loved the coffee there, that’s all I remember.”

“Well, I won’t be having any.” Ruki does not pout. It is simply a thing she never has and never will do, and not even a drunk Hirokazu would be stupid enough to accuse her of such a thing. Still, she comes pretty damn close to childishly sticking out her lower lip at the thought of missing out on her favorite drink.

Jen laughs and kisses her temple. “Only six more months, Ruki.”

“ _Only_?” She echoes disbelievingly. “That’s easy for you to say, you don’t even need caffeine.”

“Okay,” Jen concedes. “Six more terrible, awful, torturously long months. But if anyone can make it, it’s you, Makino.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Ruki says flatly. She brings her arms up to wrap them around Jen’s neck and catches sight of the time when sunlight bounces off her watch.

“I’ve got to go,” She drops a quick kiss on Jen’s lips, who sighs as he lets go of her.

“Make sure you’re back for dinner.” He reminds her.

“You seem very concerned about this. Should I dress up or something?” Ruki asks teasingly, though she’s the tiniest bit suspicious about Jen’s dinner plans.

“You know you’re beautiful to me no matter what you wear,” He grins. “But maybe try to respect the dress code and not show up in shorts?”

Ruki rolls her eyes. “No shorts; got it. Bye.” She ends their conversation before they end up teasing each other for another ten minutes.

“Bye!” He calls after her. “And tell Ryo no hitting on the mother of my child!”

If anyone heard that, she’s going to kill him.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

The café is tucked away in a quiet corner of Taipei, a rare and precious thing. It’s got a French name that makes no sense and a menu that has Google Translate written all over it. Still, it’s comfortable and spacious enough that she was granted her request of a quiet corner where their conversation won’t be overheard by curious strangers, and aside from their coffee, they also make a mean smoothie.

Renamon remains out of sight, tucked away in the shadow world. Even in Japan, the Tamers only feel safe having their partners walk around in broad daylight if they’re in Shinjuku. Anywhere else and they might attract unwelcome attention. But to have a Digimon out and about in a different country entirely… that’s probably asking for a media circus.

She hopes Ryo has enough sense left in that brain of his to show up alone. His face is recognizable enough as it is; having Cyberdramon by his side will completely ruin Ruki’s plans for them to discuss business over a quiet lunch.

The café is quiet enough that Ruki can hear the sound of the automatic doors sliding open and then, light footfalls that come to a stop at her table.

“Well, well. Ruki Makino in the flesh.” Ryo grins, crossing his arms. “To be honest, I was ninety percent sure you weren’t going to show up.”

“Yet here you are.” Ruki points out, observing him as he takes a seat. It’s been a while since she last saw Ryo; Jen isn’t the only one who’s forgotten exactly how long it’s been. Her best guess is three years. He hasn’t changed that much; not physically, at least.

Ryo shrugs. “I was pretty sure you’d send someone in your place. You’re cold, Ruki, but not _that_ rude.”

“A compliment if ever I’ve received one.” She mutters. Ryo laughs as he flags down a waitress.

“You have no idea how happy I am to find that you haven’t changed a bit.”

Ruki’s changed a whole lot more than _a bit_ , but she’s not in the mood to discuss her personal life right now. She waits for Ryo to place his order, smiles and says _no, thank you_ when the waitress asks her if she’d like anything else and waits for the girl to move out of hearing range.

“I assume you know why I’m here.”

“Well, unless you’ve come to the sudden realization that I _am_ the love of your life, I doubt you’ve come all this way just to have coffee with an old friend.” She’s having a chocolate smoothie, actually, but all the better if he can’t tell and doesn’t question her non-caffeinated order.

“I’d say _sorry to disappoint you_ but if you’ve actually deluded yourself into thinking that’s why I’m here, then I’m not sorry at all.”

“A man can dream,” Ryo quips. “So, what does Hypnos want from me?”

The waitress walks by to bring Ryo his drink just then and they both drop the subject until she is, once again, gone.

“We’re not asking you for anything,” Ruki says, picking up the file she’d left on the chair next to hers and sliding it over to him. “We’re offering you something.”

“It’s _we_ now, is it?” Ryo mutters as he starts reading.

“Another word about that and I’ll use it against you when you become a part of that _we_.”

Ryo spares her a glance between pages. “Someone’s confident.”

“You’d be stupid to turn this down, and we both know it. How much longer do you think you can avoid them? Drug cartels, trafficking rings… you’ve pissed off some very powerful people, Ryo.” She leans back in her chair and takes a sip of her drink. “Your best bet right now is to ally with people who are even more powerful.”

“Is Hypnos at that level already?”

“You have no idea how much money people will throw at an agency that’s the only line of protection against another world.” Ruki isn’t entirely pleased by this and neither is Yamaki. The whole point of declassifying the existence of the Digital World and making the events of the D-Reaper battle public had been to educate people, to show them that not all outsiders are a threat. The D-Reaper had been a human invention, after all, and the outsiders, the Digimon, had been the ones to save humanity. But most people would rather live in fear of monsters rather than embrace the idea of another intelligent race, and if throwing money at Hypnos means they don’t have to deal with how wrong their line of thinking is, if their money can keep the worlds separate, all things where they belong, then they’ll keep sending contributions and writing checks.

“Money isn’t always power.” Ryo says finally, a frown on his face.

“It does mean connections, though, and allies. Hypnos has more than enough money to fund pet projects that weren’t approved as part of the budget, and the best way to gain favor from intelligence agencies is to help them achieve financial independence from their governments. Helping someone avoid bureaucracy is as good as saving their lives, in this business.”

That’s not what she’s here to talk about, though.

“Look, Ryo, we may have our differences but at the end of the day, you’re as much a friend to me as the others.” Ruki says impatiently. “And as your friend, I’m telling you: _take the damn job_. You’ve got nothing to lose. The team will be your shadow, nothing more. Your name will still be the only one in the papers and as far as the public is concerned, it’ll just be you and Cyberdramon saving the world.”

Ryo shoots her a sharp look. “You know that has nothing to do with why I do this.”

“I don’t, actually.” Ruki fires back. “I’ve never known why you do what you do, wandering around until you find stolen children to free or notorious crime lords to take down. As far as I can tell, you just like being a hero.” She might have gone too far with that last line.

He doesn’t seem to be hurt by it, though. “Don’t you see, Ruki? This is the only way I _can_ live. That year I spent in the Digital World, I just… I got so used to it, going around and helping those in need, saving the ones who needed saving. I didn’t care that they called me a hero or idealized me, I just liked feeling needed. I liked the fact that I could look at myself and say, _you’ve done good today_.”

“And then I came back and… everything was different. My father didn’t give a damn that I had been out there helping people, fighting the D-Reaper, trying to save lives. I didn’t need praise; all I wanted was some sort of acknowledgement. Not even that! I just wanted him to see my worth.”

Ruki’s never seen him this way. Ryo plays a part, even in front of his friends, and that part is calm, collected and cocky. Now here he is, spitting out words so fast he nearly trips over them, running nervous hands through his hair as his eyes fly about, telling her about the father he could never please.

“But no matter what I do, to him I’ll always be the selfish kid who left just like that and never looked back. So I decided that if he wasn’t going to forgive me for leaving, if he wasn’t going to open his eyes and see that I was doing everything I could to change myself and be someone who would stay, then what was the point? If I can’t be a good guy in my father’s eyes, then I won’t be one at all. But I’m still going to do what I _need_ to do, Ruki, and that, above all, means helping others. It’s what I was _born_ to do. If people are going to call me a hero for that, then let them. But that’s not why I do what I do.” Ryo leans back in his chair, grand speech finished and carefully-chosen last words hanging in the air. He looks satisfied with himself.

Ryo plays a part, even in front of his friends, even when one of his friends thinks he isn’t. His speech was in-character all along; he’d just modified the part to appeal to her.

He’s miscalculated, though, because Ruki sees right through him and isn’t going to fall for it. In fact, she sees an opening and calls him out on his crap.

“You may not do it because they call you a hero for it, but you do it because _you_ feel like a hero for it. Don’t even try to deny it,” She warns him. “At the end of the day, you don’t just look at yourself and think _I’ve done good_ , you look at yourself and think _I’ve done more good than anyone else, more than I’m obligated to, more than a normal person would_.”

“And you know what? That’s fine, Ryo. Because it’s true, you do more than most people and you do more than you should, and if you’re going to pat yourself on the back for rescuing dozens of little children from having their organs harvested, then go right ahead. Name a festival in your honor for all that I care, as long as those kids get to live happy, safe lives. But don’t insult me by presenting yourself as some sort of vigilante Robin Hood, a noble savior of the people, when we both know you’re nothing more than a mercenary.”

The smirk Ryo had donned when she’d suggested naming a festival in his honor disappears. “How did yo-” He looks down at the file, at the pages and pages of information Hypnos has gathered on him over the years. “Never mind.”

“Look,” He moves right into defending himself. “So yeah, maybe I do get fairly compensated for what I do. What’s the big deal, Ruki? You said it yourself, right? As long as those kids get to live happy, safe lives. The people who hire me, that’s all they want. I’m still a good guy; it’s just that I’m also _working for_ the good guys.”

“How sure are you?”

“What?”

“How sure are you,” Ruki repeats patiently, “that you’re working for the good guys? Because in certain cases, your answer should be _not very sure at all_. Five months ago, you nearly took out an innocent man. He was being used as a scapegoat by the people who hired you. The _good guys_.” She reaches over and flips the pages in his file until she lands on the report she’s looking for. “You’re just lucky the ‘police’ _just happened_ to swoop in right before you made a terrible mistake and they escorted that man to safety.”

Ryo grows pale.

“Two months after that, a man sent you to attack a warehouse. From what we can tell, you were told that the facility belonged to a drug cartel. He told you these would be more harmful than your average drugs, deadly if they were to be put on the black market. He asked you to blow the whole thing up. No one would be there, no one would get hurt. You’d just be saving a whole lot of innocent druggies who weren’t expecting anything other than their usual order.”

“I was staking out the place,” Ryo recalls. “And I saw these trucks going in and out, with huge logos on them. They were familiar but I couldn’t place them. Later, when I went for dinner, the waitress at the restaurant asked if I had a headache and offered me some pills. The bottle had the same logo so I asked her about it. She said it was a new brand, and they were doing a world of good, selling quality meds for half the price of big-name pharmaceuticals.”

Ruki already knows all of this but maybe this is something he needs to say out loud before it can sink in, so she lets him go on.

“She told me they did a lot of charity, too, and they were going to be sending tons of medicine over to third-world countries for free within the next week. When I looked it up,” Ryo turns a few pages in the file and comes upon the relevant entry. “It all checked out. And the guy who hired me, he worked for a competitor.”

“Typical corporate stuff,” Ruki says dismissively.

“I went back to that restaurant seven times, and I never saw that waitress again.” Ryo tells her, a hint of suspicion in his voice as he looks at her.

She ignores him and reaches for the file again, flipping to another case. “And just last month-”

“Enough.” Ryo says firmly, pushing her hand away. She keeps her features carefully blank, although a triumphant smirk threatens to break through her mask.

“That waitress; hell, even those policemen who escorted my guy away – that was all Hypnos.” He realizes out loud.

“They’ve been watching over you for quite a while now.” Ruki affirms. “You’ve come dangerously close to making the wrong call, Akiyama, and there were times when they weren’t sure they’d get to you before you made a mistake.”

“They?”

“They.” She nods. “I wasn’t involved in any of this until a month ago.”

“You’re just here as the messenger, then.”

“I’m here to recruit you. It falls under my job description.” Ruki reaches for the file one last time and flips to the last page. “Hypnos will award you the freedom of an independent agent. You’ll come and go as you please, there won’t be any paperwork or meetings, no mandatory days to come into the office. An amount of money will be wired into an account of your choice at the end of every month. There’ll be no contract if you don’t want there to be one. The only non-negotiable aspect of this job is that you will take a team with you everywhere you go, and you will not act without their permission.”

And then, in a gentler voice: “It’s no different from what you’re used to, Ryo. You took orders from the people who hired you before. Only now, you can be sure that you’re on the right side. Hypnos doesn’t give a damn about these things; all we care about is that you and Cyberdramon remain heroes in the eyes of the people.”

“We’ll even let you pick your team members.” She adds as a final sales pitch.

Ryo smirks. “How would you like to be co-captain, then?”

“I wouldn’t accept even if you told me it’s the only way to make you say yes.”

He sighs. “You know what, Ruki? You’re pretty damn good at your job.”

“I’ll take that as a yes, then.” Ruki says, reaching into her bag to pull out an envelope.

“Well, I mean it is, but you don’t have to act so cocky about it.”

“I learned from the best, Akiyama,” She drawls, handing him the envelope. “Plane leaves eight in the evening, sharp. You will be on it. We’ve made arrangements with the airport; they’ll recognize your name when you check-in and you’ll have no trouble getting Cyberdramon through security.” Ruki stands up.

“What’s the rush?” Ryo asks, fiddling with the envelope.

Ruki decides to mess with him; if he’s coming back to Shinjuku anyway, he’ll find out soon enough from their friends. Why not tell him personally?

“I’ve got a date to get ready for.” She says casually, picking up her bag.

“A date?” Ryo echoes dumbly.

“A date, Akiyama. It’s what couples do when they can get some time to themselves.”

“I know what a date is!” He says rather defensively. “I thought _you_ didn’t, though.”

“You learn lots of things as you grow up.” Ruki shrugs.

“Okay, fine, so you’re going on a date. Don’t be a tease, Ruki: who’s the lucky guy?”

“Oh, just someone from work. Half-Chinese, blue hair, has a Digimon who won’t shut up…”

“You are _kidding_ me.”

“I don’t joke about serious matters.”

“Jen? Seriously? _Jenrya?_ ”

“Yes, seriously, Jen.” She crosses her arms. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing!” Ryo says quickly, holding his hands up. “Nothing. It’s just… wow. This is going to take some getting used to.”

“Well, get used to it, because you’re going to have to deal with this for a long while.” Ruki says, slightly awkward now. It’s the first time she’s actually voluntarily clued someone in on their relationship, apart from her mother - who doesn’t count, she’s family - and Ryo’s reaction is making her wonder… did the guys react like this as well, when Juri told them? She’s always known she and Jen make an odd match but is it so unimaginable?

Ryo smiles; it almost looks patronizing. “I know we all like to think these things last forever, Ruki, but sometimes they just don’t work out.”

Okay, now she’s annoyed. “Well, this one better last,” Ruki snaps, working hard to keep her tone even. “Because I’m not raising a kid on my own.”

And then, just to rub it in: “Besides, it’s already lasted ten years.”

That effectively wipes the smirk off Ryo's face and renders him speechless.

“Renamon.” She calls after a moment of waiting to see if he’s got anything to add. The fox appears by her side almost immediately and places a hand on her shoulder, waiting for her order.

The sight of Renamon seems to break Ryo out of his stupor.

“Ruki!” He blurts, trying to keep her for a bit longer. He smiles, a genuine one this time.

“Congratulations,” He nods at her stomach. “I really mean it.”

“Thanks,” Ruki says curtly.

“Uh,” Ryo scratches the side of his head. “Pass that on to Jen, will you?”

She offers him an olive branch since he _’s trying_ to be nice: “Pass it on yourself.” Ruki smiles. “I’ll see you soon, Akiyama.”

“Have a pleasant flight home.” Renamon says politely to the boy before she and her Tamer vanish.

“Damn it,” Ryo mutters. “I wanted to hitch a ride.”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

The toll of traveling back and forth from Taiwan through the shadow world doesn’t hit her until later that evening, when Jen is all dressed up and waiting for her in the living room.

He turns to Ruki with a bright smile when he hears her enter, only to find her rocking a messy bun and a shirt of his.

“I’m sorry,” She says, not even trying to hide how tired she sounds. “I just don’t feel up to it tonight, Jen. Why don’t you go ahead without me?”

“Don’t be silly,” Jen smiles, hiding his disappointment. Maybe it’s a sign. Maybe the timing just isn’t right. “Why would I go to dinner on my own and leave you alone?”

Renamon and Terriermon are over at Juri’s for dinner, along with the rest of the Digimon and a few of the Tamers. The two of them had been invited as well but Ruki isn’t ready to deal with the boys and their teasing just yet.

“Sorry,” Ruki says again, curling up on the sofa. “Renamon warned me I’d feel some after-effects after traveling to Taiwan and then back here within an hour.”

“After-effects?” Jen questions with a concerned frown. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ruki says dismissively. “Just tired, that’s all.”

Jen shrugs off his jacket and undoes the top button on his dress shirt. “How’s your appetite? I can call for delivery.” He offers.

Ruki considers his question for a moment and decides she could probably stomach some food. “That sounds good.” She tells him. “Go ahead and pick whatever you want.”

After some back and forth which mostly consists of him insisting that she pick something and her telling him to choose whatever he wants, they settle on Chinese. Ruki retraces her steps to their bedroom while Jen makes the call and puts on a pair of shorts, in case she has to deal with the deliveryman.

They reconvene in the living room and slump down on the sofa, her head against his shoulder.

“Food should be here in forty minutes,” Jen informs her. The restaurant itself is just around the corner but it’s a Friday night, so the long wait isn’t anything unusual.

“Okay,” Ruki sighs, closing her eyes for a moment. “Sorry for messing up your dinner plans.”

“Stop apologizing.” Jen pokes at her side. “It’s just dinner.”

“It was supposed to be a date. I even told Ryo about it.”

“I still can’t believe you told him about the baby.” Jen says.

“Does it make me a bad mother if I did it just to see the look on his face?” She wonders out loud.

He laughs. “It doesn’t make you a bad anything.” Jen assures her, earning himself a kiss. She tries to pull him closer but gives up after a while and swings herself into his lap instead.

“Did you hide the remote in your pants again?” Ruki laughs when she feels something pressing against her thigh. It’s definitely not the usual _something_ , and Jen has been known to hide the remote from her at times because Ruki has a bad habit of snatching it up and flipping through channels when she’s bored, even if they’re in the middle of watching something.

“What?” He asks, slightly dazed. “No, why would I-” He tenses up then, realizing his mistake as Ruki’s sharp eyes study him with a curious glint to them.

“Then what,” She reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thin, nearly flat box, “is this?”

“Oh.” Ruki breathes before he can answer her, catching sight of the dark-blue velvet box. It’s nothing like the usual boxes though, so it can’t be what she’s thinking…

“I was going to ask you after dinner.” Jen confesses; she’s already got the box in her hand so he doesn’t see the point in lying to her.

His words confirm her suspicions and after she looks up at him for a moment and finds no objection, she turns her focus upon the box once more and slowly, hesitantly, pries it open.

Inside, there’s a ring. Two rings, it looks like. A band of diamonds and another of light purple gems, intertwined. Two circles of small, equal-sized stones wrap around the entirety of both rings in lieu of the traditional center diamond. The ring itself lies flat in the box, anchored by a thin strip of velvet that holds it in place. It’s the first engagement ring she’s seen that isn’t poking out from a bed of satin, which explains the flat box. It’s more subtle, she’ll say that much.

As soon as the words _engagement ring_ cross her mind though, she pushes the box to Jen.

“No,” She says sharply. “Not if you’re only asking me because I’m pregnant.”

Jen shakes his head. “I’m not, Ruki. This is what-”

“No, Jen.” She interrupts him. “I don’t want us to do this because it’s what’s right and traditional and expected of us. I don’t want you to ask me because you feel like you have to, and I definitely don’t want us to-”

“I’ve had this for three years!” He blurts out, effectively putting an end to her rant.

She stares at him, wide-eyed. “That’s when we…”

“I know.” Jen sighs, closing his eyes for just a moment. The box is still in his hand and it feels heavier than anything he’s ever held. “The morning after we made up, I went out and got it.”

Ruki furrows her brows in confusion. “But that was when we first decided to try a normal relationship. Why would you rush out and…? What made you even think of this?”

“Do you remember,” He brings his free hand up to push back an errant lock of red hair, “the first time you told me you love me?”

“Of course I do,” Ruki mumbles, as if hesitant to reveal how sentimental she is about that moment. “It was the day we graduated from college. Everyone else was talking about how they’d never see each other again but Yamaki had just recruited both of us, so you took one look at everyone else and you said-”

“No goodbyes here, Makino. You’re stuck with me for a very long time.” Jen repeats himself, a wave of nostalgia enveloping him.

“Yeah, that.” Ruki smiles. “I just looked at you and I couldn’t help what I said.”

“You said _good, because I love you_.” Jen quotes from memory, his eyes bright. Ruki nods silently and sighs when he leans in and brushes his lips against hers. “But that’s not what I was talking about.” Jen murmurs against her lips.

“What?” Ruki’s face scrunches up in confusion.

“The first time you ever told me you love me,” Jen says, pulling away to look her in the eye, “was the night we made up.” There’s no hint of recognition in her eyes at all, but he’s always known she doesn’t remember this.

“I thought you were asleep, but I couldn’t help myself so I leaned over and whispered _I love you_ right before I closed my eyes. And then out of nowhere, you started mumbling. You said _this is the stupidest thing I’ve ever done_ ,” Jen laughs at the memory. “ _But I’ve gone and fallen in love with you, idiot.”_

“Why don’t I remember any of that?” Ruki whispers, a question directed to herself rather than Jen.

“Well,” He drawls. “You _were_ rather worn out that night…”

“Shut up,” Ruki swats his arm. “We had to make up for one whole week of lost time.”

He laughs. “We managed, somehow.”

“Jen,” Her voice drops into something a bit lower, more serious. “Why didn’t you tell me? Graduation was four months after that and you never said anything, even when you told me you love me and I didn’t say it back.”

“You weren’t ready,” He says gently, cupping her cheek. She leans into his touch and brings one hand up to rest over his.

“Is that why you kept the ring for three years?” She asks. “God, we were so young then. What in the world possessed you to go and buy an engagement ring?”

“I knew you weren’t anywhere near ready for this back then,” He fiddles with the box. “I bought this knowing that you might never be ready.”

“So why did y-”

“The second you said _I’ve gone and fallen in love with you_ , the second you said that – I knew. It didn’t matter to me that you might never say yes. In that moment all I knew was that you’re the only person I would ever want to spend the rest of my life with. The only thing left to do was wait and hope and pray that someday you’d feel the same way. And I thought… well, I didn’t see any harm in getting ready for that day.”

Ruki is silent for a few minutes that seem to stretch, impossibly, into an eternity. His heart jumps when she reaches out and removes the little box from his hand, carefully balancing it in one palm while her other hand lifts the lid. After a moment’s consideration, she plucks the ring from its resting place and, in a move that nearly stops Jen’s heart, puts it on.

“Hmm,” Ruki says, looking pleased as she studies the ring on her finger. “It’s a perfect fit.”

“I… I traced the outline of that ring your grandmother made you wear in college and I took it to the jeweler’s and let them figure out the size. They said they have people do that all the time.”

“Smart,” Ruki comments before she moves to wrap her arms around his neck.

“No, wait!”

“What?” She asks, looking alarmed.

“I didn’t even get to ask you.”

“ _What_?” She says again, this time in disbelief. “Seriously, Jen? Come on, don’t make a big deal out of this.”

“ _Ruki_ ,” He nearly whines. “Don’t ruin this. Our kid deserves at least one story we can share about our relationship and it’s sure as hell not going to be the tale of how you jumped me one afternoon when we were seventeen and talked me into sleeping with you.”

“You make it sound like I was some sort of predator.” Ruki mutters. “Fine,” She sighs with a dismissive wave. “Yes. This is me saying yes to your-”

Jen silences her with a kiss and takes advantage of her surprise to move her out of his lap and slide to the floor, complete with one knee on the ground.

“Makino Ruki,” He says, reaching for her hand since he has no ring left to give her. She scowls at him but her eyes tell a different story entirely. Still, he decides not to push his luck and get this over with before she changes her mind. It’s nothing short of a miracle that she’s even going along with this in the first place.

“Will you marry me?”

She takes her own sweet time while picking her words. “Oh, well,” She sighs heavily when his smile wavers and he genuinely starts freaking out, thinking she’s come to her senses and decided against it. “Since we’re already living together and having a kid, I don’t see what difference a piece of paper will make.”

Jen barely manages to hide his relief under an amused grin. “You couldn’t just say yes, could you?”

“I was about to, right before you had to go and get down on one knee.” Ruki says, pulling him back up to kiss him.

“You got all dressed up for this,” She observes, smoothing down the front of his shirt after they manage to pull themselves apart and overcome a sudden case of nearly-hysterical laughter. They’d laughed until their stomachs hurt and still they couldn’t wipe matching grins off their faces.

“I wanted to look my best in case you turned me down.” Jen quips just to hear her laugh again.

She settles back into his side, resting her head against his chest while she looks at the ring on her finger again. It feels odd, but not terribly so. And she’s surprised to find she doesn’t mind the ring itself, not as much as she would have if it had a huge eyesore of a rock right in the middle and a thick gold band all around. Jen reaches out and fiddles with the ring.

“I won’t be able to wear it for long, you know.”

“Why not? Most people keep wearing their engagement rings even after they’re married. I think there’s even a rule for which band goes on top of the other. The wedding ring, I think. Or was it-”

Ruki laughs. “No, I mean I won’t be able to wear it for long because my fingers are going to swell up like sausages soon, thanks to that kid of ours.”

“Oh.”

“And I’m not walking down the aisle while I’m eight months pregnant or anything.” She warns him. “Actually, scratch that. I’m not walking down _any_ aisle.”

“As long as you become Mrs. Lee,” Jen says happily. “I don’t care about the aisle or the party or anything.”

“I’m not taking your last name, either.” Ruki informs him.

“I don’t think you’re getting the point here.” Jen moves, prompting her to pull away from him and turn around to face him.

“I don’t need a wedding or an aisle or you to change your last name, Ruki,” He tells her sincerely. “All I need is for you to marry me.”

“Okay,” She nearly throws herself at him. Jen wonders if she’s really that glad that he’s not pushing her into having a white wedding spectacle.

“Yes,” Ruki whispers between kisses. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this is a monster of a chapter. I have never, in all my years of writing fanfiction, written a chapter this long for anything. This is partly because, well… you know how it goes when you have a vague outline of what needs to happen in a chapter because you’ve planned ahead for the rest of the story, but then you start writing and it seems like the characters are telling you you’re going too fast and maybe you should keep that thing you’re going to cram in for a different chapter? 
> 
> That is exactly what happened here. As mentioned above, I had to get them engaged by this chapter because I’ve got everything else planned out. I know this story would have benefited from more chapters to flesh things out and a slower build, but I’m working with very limited time here and everything needs to go according to plan. I hope this hasn’t ruined the story for anyone.
> 
> I would like to apologize for the lack of cavity warnings as well. I did not realize how cotton candy-fluffy it was going to get.


	8. Seven

**SEVEN**

* * *

“Jen!” Takato greets him with a clap to his back before the younger boy sits down next to him, leaving Hirokazu and Kenta to sit opposite them.

“Hey,” He smiles. “It’s good to see you guys.”

“Where’s Ruki?” Kenta asks, pushing his glasses back up after they slide down his nose. Hirokazu’s already busy studying the menu.

Terriermon is about to answer Kenta’s question when Jen claps his hand over his partner’s mouth. “Uh, she’s caught up with work so she decided to skip lunch.”

Hirokazu snorts. “Please,” He scoffs, putting down the menu. “We all know she’s still pissed at us.”

The rabbit pushes Jen’s hand away. “That’s what I was about to say!” He cries.

“I guess she’s got the right to be,” Takato mumbles before Jen can cover for Ruki, though she had made sure to let him know she doesn’t want him to defend her. In fact, she wants the guys to know just how pissed she is at them.

A week after getting engaged, they’d shown up at Jen’s old home to have dinner with Shiuchon. As promised, all the Tamers were present - even Ryo, who’d decided to stick around for a bit after his return. Ruki had called up everyone the day before and warned them not to say a word about the baby in front of Jen’s family, and of course everyone obeyed her orders. But she hadn’t said anything about her relationship with Jen and naturally, the boys took advantage of that and went a bit overboard with their teasing, as expected. It only got worse when the couple announced they were soon to be married.

That was nearly a month ago.

“Yeah, we kind of overdid it.” Kenta says, rubbing the back of his head.

“This is Ruki we’re talking about; if she can dish it out, then she should be able to handle it.” Hirokazu says dismissively as he flags down a waiter and the conversation is paused for a moment as they all place their orders.

“Look,” Jen says after the waiter assures them their food will arrive soon and makes his way to another table. “We let you guys have your fun that night but that’s it, okay? Not another word about our relationship.”

It feels good to speak so openly about Ruki after ten years of secrecy. There’s something amazing about the freedom of being able to address their relationship, the way he can talk about what happened last Thursday or two weeks ago or that one time he took an island vacation without having to edit Ruki out of his conversations, even the light-hearted teasing their friends hurl at them – it makes all of this seem more real somehow, and that’s something Jen welcomes these days, when he wakes up next to Ruki to see her fiddling with her ring, telling him the baby kept her up again. Anything that can keep him grounded and remind him this isn’t just one long, fantastical dream is good in his book.

“We promise.” Takato says immediately.

“Yeah, I guess.” Kenta pitches in.

“Fine,” Hirokazu grumbles. “It’s not like we had any more jokes left, so yeah, we’re done.”

“Oh, believe me,” Terriermon pipes up. “Come live with these two for a bit and they’ll give you plenty of things to poke fun at.”

“Terriermon!”

“What?” The Digimon turns wide, innocent eyes upon his Tamer. “It’s true. You two are disgustingly sweet. It’s like watching one of those TV shows Ruki’s mom likes so much.”

A blush slowly makes its way up Jen’s neck but thankfully, his tan complexion hides it as he turns to Terriermon. “Why did I even agree to bring you along?”

“Because I’m adorable.” Terriermon, who’d decided not to wait for the others and had gone ahead and started ordering as soon as they arrived, stuffs a piece of sushi into his mouth. “And also because you were afraid I’d talk some random kid in the office into buying me tons of food.”

The other three laugh at their back-and-forth as their drinks are served.

“Wait,” The rabbit says right as he’s about to take another bite of his food. “Why am I the only Digimon here?”

Right on cue, MarineAngemon pops his head out of a pocket in Kenta’s jacket.

“Hey, you!” Terriermon waves happily. MarineAngemon emits several happy-sounding noises before he ducks back into his hiding place. The smaller Digimon isn’t that fond of loud, crowded places and the popular restaurant is nothing but loud and crowded. Outside, a line is beginning to form as people wait for a table.

“Guilmon and Guardromon are around,” Takato answers Terriermon. “We passed by the park on our way here and some kid was having a birthday party. Next thing you know, two dozen ten-year-olds were begging Guilmon to stay and play with them. Guardromon decided to stay with him.”

Jen laughs. “He’s a hit with the kids, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Takato nods. “They were even asking him to _do all the voices, Guilmon-chan!_ ” He pitches his voice a bit higher to mimic the excited children.

“Hey, Jen,” Hirokazu says with a mischievous grin. “Think your kid will be a big fan?”

Just then, Jen’s phone starts ringing.

Hirokazu grows pale. “Shit, don’t tell me Ruki somehow heard that.”

“It’s her.” Jen confirms as Ruki’s name flashes on his screen.

“Better run, buddy.” Kenta elbows his friend as Jen accepts the call.

“Hey,” He smiles. “Did you change your mind about lunch?”

_“Are the guys with you?”_

Ruki sounds out of breath and slightly alarmed. Jen frowns. “Yes, why? And what’s going on?”

_“Round them up and wait, Renamon will come get you guys.”_ Ruki instructs. _“There’s been a breach two blocks away from the office. First responders are calling it a Digimon army.”_

Her words send a chill up his spine. “How? We would have noticed something this big.” By now, he’s drawn everyone’s attention. Even Terriermon’s stopped eating.

“ _That’s what all those disturbances were!”_ Ruki tells him. _“Look, I’m on my way with a team. I’ll see you there.”_

Renamon appears just then.

“Okay, Renamon’s here. I’ll see you. Be careful!” He adds right before Ruki hangs up.

“Digimon invasion,” Jen tells the others as he stands up. “Let’s go.”

He turns to Renamon. “Guilmon and Guardromon are in the park. We need to stop by and get them first.”

“Very well,” Renamon nods. “Form a circle, please.” She instructs the others. Takato’s travelled this way a few times and once, they’d run into Kenta late at night and given him a ride home. Hirokazu is the only one who’s never hitched a ride with Renamon and it shows in the trepidation upon his face.

“I don’t like this.” He declares as Kenta pulls him in and keeps one hand around his arm. With everyone huddled together, Renamon closes her eyes and focuses on tracking Guilmon. She nearly gets distracted by the huge amount of activity where the unknown Digimon are invading.

Takato tosses some cash on the table and calls out an apology to their bewildered waiter just before they blink out of existence.

“Hey, that wasn’t too-” Hirokazu cuts himself off by clapping a hand over his mouth, looking like he’s about to throw up in the bushes they’ve appeared next to. Takato jogs out to the clearing where the party is going on to call back their Digimon while Kenta and Terriermon coach Hirokazu through his nausea.

“Renamon,” Jen says quietly, drawing the fox’s attention. “I have a favor to ask of you. It is a lot to ask, and I might be out of line but-”

“You do not wish for Ruki to join me as Sakuyamon in this battle.”

Jen turns to Renamon in surprise. “How did you know?”

“I have given this matter some thought as well.” Renamon admits. “And I do not know how the process would affect the child.”

“There’s no way to predict what could happen.” Jen tells her, feeling helpless.

“Do not worry, Jen. For as long as Ruki carries this child, we will not take the form of Sakuyamon.” The fox vows.

“Thank you.” He looks Renamon in the eye, hoping to convey his gratitude. The Digimon nods just once, right before Takato returns with Guilmon and Guardromon in tow.

“Alright, guys, let’s go!”

Hirokazu, who seems to have recovered, fist-pumps the air. “Digimon battle!” He cheers. “Now this is what I’m talking about!”

“I can’t even remember the last time we were in a battle,” Kenta muses. From within his pocket, MarineAngemon makes some sort of noise, probably in agreement.

Takato turns to Jen as they prepare to travel once more. “Here we go again, huh?”

“Just like old times.” Jen nods before they all shut their eyes to protect themselves from the shadow world. He hopes transporting such a big group isn’t going to drain Renamon before the battle’s even started.

Their arrival goes unnoticed amidst the chaos of an invasion, with people running everywhere and in all directions. Policemen herd members of the public away from the scene while agents of multiple organizations push against the flow to get closer. Above, helicopters from the media hover already, ignoring safety warnings in favor of shooting valuable footage of the impending battle.

In a sea of dark uniforms and helmets, Ruki’s red hair flickers like a flame as she makes her way to them. She’s changed out of the loose blouse and cigarette pants Jen had last seen her in and now wears the new Hypnos uniform, a bodysuit of black made out of some blend of Kevlar and flame-retardant material. The uniforms are new, a gift from one of their American allies. The black fabric covers nearly every inch of her body but fails to hide the smallest hint of a baby bump.

“Looking good, Ruki.” The words are out of his mouth before Hirokazu can censor himself, and his eyes widen when he realizes what he’s said. “Please don’t kill me.” He whimpers when Ruki glares at him.

“Shut up and I might consider sparing you.”

“Shutting up now,” He promises, holding his hands up in the universal sign of _please don’t hurt me_. “I’m not stupid enough to piss off a pregnant woman.”

Four agents standing right behind him turn around when they overhear him and their eyes immediately land upon Ruki’s stomach. A quick glare from the woman sends them scurrying off, though it’s obvious that they’ve already started a whispered conversation amongst themselves. Jen hopes they’re not the gossiping kind.

“I will deal with you after we save the world.” Ruki hisses before she walks off, followed by Renamon, Jen and Terriermon.

The three boys and their partners trail after them. “You messed up.” Takato points out unnecessarily from where he stands on Hirokazu’s left.

“Big time.” Kenta agrees, walking on Hirokazu’s right side.

Meanwhile, Jen catches up to Ruki. “You’re not going to kill him, are you? I really don’t want you to have our baby behind bars.”

“Your father,” Ruki says, ignoring his joke, “offered me his congratulations while I was on my way out. Did it slip your mind to let me know you’ve informed your family?”

“Oh.”

“Damn it, Jen. A little warning would have been nice.” She’s whispering now as they near the frontlines, where Yamaki and a few others wait. A thick fog hides the invaders from view, as is always the case when uninvited Digimon appear in their world.

“I’m sorry,” He whispers back. “I told him right before I left for lunch with the guys and I thought I’d have time to tell you when I got back.”

Ruki sighs, seemingly satisfied with his explanation. “At least he won’t find out through the rumor mill.”

“Let’s hope everyone will be too busy with this battle to spread rumors about you.” Jen says, trying to soothe her.

“It’s fine,” Ruki waves dismissively. “They’re bound to find out sooner or later, right? And this one,” She pokes lightly at her bump, “isn’t being very subtle.”

Jen laughs and it draws a smile from Ruki.

“She’s smiling.” Hirokazu stage-whispers to Takato as they catch up to the couple. “Does that mean I’m off the hook?”

“It means,” Ruki says, turning to face him, “that your death will be quick and painless.”

“Alright,” Yamaki says as he walks up to them. “Enough of that. You know I can’t have you threatening civilians on my watch, Miss Makino.”

Ruki shrugs, unapologetic.

“But that’s not going to stop you.” The older man mutters.

“We’ve detected seventeen separate signs of life,” He says to the group. “A probe was sent in and the images we captured don’t match up with anything in the database. Hopefully, you guys will have more luck identifying the creatures.”

“Identification is, however, not your main focus. Your priority is to contain the situation at all costs. It would be preferable if you can capture one for interrogation but if you need to take them all down for security reasons, then go ahead.”

Ruki and Jen nod, catching his hidden message. Some of the agencies they’ve partnered with are probably demanding they capture one of the invaders, eager to dissect and study a creature they view as nothing more than a few lines of codes. But Hypnos, as a whole, is dead set against that sort of thing… these days, at least. Yamaki’s changed a lot since they first met him. Hypnos can’t outright deny their partners and benefactors such a request, though – not without offending some very powerful people - so this is their loophole.

“For security reasons,” Jen repeats with a knowing look.

“Yes,” Yamaki nods. “Now, off you go. Save the world while we sit around in our fancy suits and give press statements.”

The Tamers laugh at Yamaki’s self-deprecation before they grow serious and focus on the task at hand. They slip on glasses of various styles and colors as they approach the fog.

“Hey, where’s Ryo?” Hirokazu questions right before they enter the Digital Field.

“Somewhere in Africa.” Ruki informs him as they walk in and immediately catch sight of the army.

Seventeen might seem like too small a number to call an army, but what these creatures lack in numbers, they more than make up for in size. They don’t present that big a threat though, as far as Ruki can tell. They’re prepared to attack the Tamers, that much is obvious, but they move sluggishly and some of them can’t quite produce an attack. Ruki thinks she notices a few of them flicker in and out of existence, as if they’re not quite there.

“Do you recognize any of them?” She asks Renamon as Takato whips out his Digivice. Renamon shakes her head.

“I’m not getting anything.” Takato says after a few attempts. The others try with their own devices and fail to get any readings.

The boys turn to Jen and Ruki for orders.

Ruki shrugs. “Battle first, questions later.”

“Some of them are already attacking nearby buildings.” Jen points out. “We can’t have them spread out and go after people next. I’m with Ruki on this one.”

“Well then,” Takato says, pulling out a card. “Let’s go, Tamers.”

_Just like old times_ , Jen thinks to himself as their opponents charge at them.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

“Well, that took way longer than our usual lunch break.” Hirokazu quips, checking the time on his Digivice.

“Nearly two hours.” Kenta agrees, checking over MarineAngemon for injuries. His partner hovers mid-air happily, looking completely unharmed.

Renamon brushes dust off her gloves. “It was a short battle, given the number of enemies we went up against.” Halfway through the battle, after they’d dispatched of ten Digimon or so, another Digital Field had appeared right next to the original one, pitting the Tamers and their partners against another fourteen opponents.

“I’m just glad no one was hurt.” Takato sighs tiredly, slumped against Guilmon.

“Terriermon almost was!” Guilmon reminds them all.

“It was nothing, you guys.” Terriermon assures them from where he’s perched on Jen’s shoulder. “Moumantai.”

The gathered Tamers and their partners groan good-naturedly as Terriermon quips his catchphrase.

Yamaki joins them then, having wrapped up his discussion with a group of important-looking people who’d arrived just after the battle was over.

“Good work, everyone. We owe you guys again.”

“Don’t mention it, Yamaki.” Takato rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “This is what we’re meant to do; it’s why we’re Tamers.”

“Well, Tamers, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask one more favor of you guys.” Yamaki says. “If you could all come back with us to the office for a while, we’ll just take your statements and send you on your merry way.”

“Statements?” Kenta asks.

“We’ll need to write up reports for this.” Ruki explains. “Come on, you guys can ride with us. I assume the agents I drove over will find some other way of getting back?” She directs her question to Yamaki.

“I’ll handle it.” He nods.

“Alright then,” Ruki sighs, motioning for the others to follow her. She leads them to one of Hypnos’ armored vans and tosses the keys to Jen. It would be faster for Renamon to transport them all but after the battle they’ve just faced, Ruki would rather sit in a car with Hirokazu and his endless chatter for an hour than let Renamon exert herself any further. They pile into the car quietly, all of them exhausted now that the adrenaline rush of their first Digimon battle in years has worn off.

“When we get back,” Ruki says as Jen drives away from the scene. “Just follow us. I’ll arrange for an agent to come up to my office and take your statements so that you guys can finish up as soon as possible.” She pulls out her phone and starts typing out a message, coordinating with Yamaki.

Ruki gets a reply two minutes later, telling her he’s already got someone waiting in her office and once they’re done, she and Jen can leave as well.

“Yamaki’s giving us the rest of the day off.” She tells Jen, a grateful smile lighting up her face as she sends a thank-you message to their boss. The battle has certainly left her winded, more than these things used to when she was younger. But everyone else seems just as tired, so maybe it’s just age coupled with how long it’s been since their last fight.

“That’s nice of him.” Jen says, focused on the road.

Takato, who’s sitting just behind them and has overheard their conversation, speaks up. “Do you guys want to go out for dinner together? You know, since we’re all free and our lunch was interrupted.”

“Maybe some other time,” Jen suggests, having noticed the way Ruki’s eyes keep closing of their own accord. She’s fighting against sleep. In the back, Terriermon, Hirokazu and Guilmon have already dozed off while Renamon stares blankly at the passing scenery, a clear sign of her exhaustion. “I think we’re all worn out.”

“Yeah,” Takato agrees, yawning. “That’s probably a better idea.” He slumps down next to Guilmon. “Some other time.” The boy mumbles, closing his eyes.

Soon, the only ones left awake are Jen, Ruki and Renamon, who seems to be too tired to pay much attention to anything.

“Are you okay?” Jen asks quietly, glancing at Ruki when they stop at a red light.

“I’m just tired,” Ruki tells him with a sleepy smile. “And this thing is so uncomfortable.” She pulls at her uniform, scrunching up her nose in distaste.

Jen chuckles. “Good thing I didn’t have time to change, then.”

“I don’t know why they insisted I put it on.” Ruki grumbles. “We’ve always fought in normal clothes. But it’s not that bad,” She decides, “it’s just a size too small, right now.”

Despite what she’d said earlier, about everyone being bound to figure it out sooner or later, Jen knows she isn’t comfortable with the idea of walking into the office and letting everyone see the slight swell of her stomach, framed by the form-fitting uniform.

“I’ll give you my jacket when we get there,” He offers.

“Okay.” Ruki says quietly, because saying _thank you_ would force her to acknowledge that she knows that he knows about her trying to hide their baby, and that’s not something she wants to talk about right now.

It takes them another fifteen minutes before they get to Hypnos, where Jen navigates through the underground parking lot to leave the van in its designated spot. Renamon wakes Terriermon and Guilmon up, and they in turn poke at the others until everyone’s awake. Ruki hops out of the car as soon as Jen kills the engine and stretches her muscles while Jen takes off his jacket, then helps Ruki into it, as promised.

Luckily, the others are too tired to comment, though they observe the couple’s interaction curiously. It’s the first time they’ve ever seen Ruki and Jen actually show any sort of affection.

“Come on, then.” Ruki says, ignoring their blatant staring. The group follows her up to her office, where a man and a woman they vaguely recognize from earlier wait outside her door.

Ruki greets them and leads everyone into her office, where they begin the hour-long process of taking statements. There’s not much to say and most of the details are repeated over and over, but the agents have a list of questions they need to ask everyone and the Tamers go along with it for the sake of protocol, hoping their co-operation will speed things up.

Juri calls while Hirokazu is in the middle of telling his version of the afternoon’s events.

“ _Is everyone alright?”_ She asks, nearly tripping over her own words. _“I can’t believe it. Wild Digimon attacking our town, again? And I wasn’t there! Culumon didn’t even notice!”_

“Juri,” Ruki says, trying to calm the other girl down. The name draws everyone’s attention. “We’re fine. Everything’s okay now, we’re back in my office. And don’t blame yourself; Hypnos didn’t even notice anything was going on until it was too late.”

_“Oh… okay, then.”_ Juri sighs hesitantly. “ _Is… is Takato there?”_ She adds shyly. Ruki rolls her eyes and thrusts the phone at Takato, who accepts the device with a hint of pink in his cheeks and retreats to the opposite corner of Ruki’s office. Hirokazu pauses in the middle of his story to laugh at his friend.

Jen is sitting on the sofa pushed up against the office’s only window, and Ruki joins him since her desk has been taken over by the two agents. It’s a tight fit with Kenta there and Terriermon perched on the side, but Jen pulls her down and keeps her by his side, holding her closer than she would prefer in front of their friends and two strangers.

The agents don’t seem to notice and she doesn’t want to cause a scene, so she leans into him without protest and ignores the burn of Kenta’s eyes upon them. The boy quickly averts his focus and noticeably avoids them to be polite. Ruki knows there’s always been a reason why she prefers him to Hirokazu.

“You haven’t eaten, have you?” Jen murmurs, low enough that she’s the only one to catch it.

“According to Takato, neither have you.”

“Yes, but I’m not the one growing a little person inside of her.” After all the chaos of this afternoon, even with sheer exhaustion written across his features, Jen smiles brightly at her, his eyes shining. Ruki fights against the voice reminding her that they have an audience and laces her fingers with his, bringing their joined hands to rest on her stomach. The late afternoon sunlight streaming in through the window bounces off her ring.

“I think the baby’s started moving,” She whispers, curling into Jen’s side. Kenta must have overheard because he makes an awkward choking sound and nearly jumps out of his seat in relief when the agents call on him and tell him it’s his turn. Thankfully, Hirokazu chooses to stand by his friend’s side and provide commentary to his story rather than come over and take up Kenta’s vacant seat.

“You mean _she’s_ started moving.”

“We won’t find out until next week.” Ruki reminds him. The baby had been in a hide-and-seek mood during their last appointment, so the doctor had given them the option to either wait until their next scheduled appointment or come in again two weeks later. They chose the latter.

“Let’s just say… I’ve got a feeling.” Jen smiles as Ruki leans her head on his shoulder and sighs happily, basking in the warm sunlight. With Kenta gone, she can probably stretch out a bit, re-position herself so that she’s not half-seated in Jen’s lap. But she’s too comfortable to bother.

“I’ve got a feeling, too.” She confesses, closing her eyes. Here, curled into Jen’s side, safe in her office, far from the monsters they had battled just this afternoon, Ruki finally gives in to the heaviness weighing down her eyelids.

She dozes off.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

They get home around five and after an early dinner, or very late lunch, Renamon excuses herself.

“Please, just stay away from the Digital World.” Ruki asks of her partner before the fox can disappear. “We don’t know who’s behind today’s attack yet and Hypnos is still detecting anomalies.”

“I am curious and concerned for my home world,” Renamon admits after a pause. “But I do not think it would be wise to return now, not on my own.”

“Okay.” Ruki says, relief coloring her voice. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“I will not be long.” Her partner assures her, and then Ruki is alone in the kitchen. She makes her way to the living room, where Terriermon is curled up and watching bad reality shows. If you call him out on his taste in TV programming, the rabbit will defend himself and claim he’s studying humans, just like Renamon. Ruki knows this from experience; it had made for a very amusing conversation.

Jen appears not long after she sits down next to the Digimon, and joins them with a laugh when he realizes they’re watching one of Terriermon’s favorite game shows. When drops of water fall from his still-damp hair and land on her left arm, Ruki snatches the towel around Jen’s neck and absent-mindedly starts towel-drying his hair. He’s taken aback, but remains silent. Every day is a new page to add to his catalogue of _ways Ruki can show affection without saying a word_.

She tosses the towel into his lap when she’s done and keeps her eyes focused on the screen while he gets up to throw it in the laundry hamper. End credits are rolling by the time Jen returns, prompting Terriermon to jump down to the ground.

“I’m going to sleep.” The rabbit announces between yawns and stretches.

“It’s only six-thirty.” Jen points out.

“Yeah, but I’m exhausted.” Terriermon says, padding off in the direction of the room he shares with Renamon. He’s got a crib there, like a human child’s. Renamon had insisted on a simple mattress and would not accept even a bedframe. “Good night, guys.”

“Good night.” Ruki calls back, watching in amusement as the sleepy rabbit nearly walks into a wall and stumbles twice before reaching his door. “He wasn’t joking about being exhausted.” She says to Jen, who’s flipping through channels for something better to watch.

He lands on a news program, which is airing a report on this afternoon’s battle. Those helicopters had captured some decent footage, after all.

Ruki snatches the remote and turns the channel to a documentary.

“Hey,” Jen protests half-heartedly.

“I’ve had more than enough of that battle for today.” Ruki says, moving herself so that she’s stretched out across the sofa, her head in Jen’s lap. She grabs his right hand and places it on her stomach.

“Baby’s moving.” She tells him, too caught up in the moment to mask the glee in her voice. Her hand guides his, moving around a bit. “Right there.” She presses down on a specific spot.

“Books say it’ll take a while before I can feel it.” Jen reminds her, smiling at the excited way she had snatched his hand.

“Damn.” Ruki’s smile falters, though her lips quickly curve upwards once more as she detects more flutters.

“It’s okay,” He assures her. “I’ve waited a long time for this baby; I can wait a little longer until she’s strong enough so that I can feel her kick.”

Ruki says nothing at the reminder that he’s wanted this even before she ever thought of it as possibility, that every development she’s blindsided by is a turn Jen has been expecting for a long time. He’d been the one to tell her that they should be able to find out the gender once she hits sixteen weeks, and though they both spend a lot of time reading up on books written for first-time parents, Jen is definitely the more dedicated student.

“I called up the municipal office.” Ruki says instead. “They said we can go any day and just sign some papers.”

That’s the wedding they’re planning.

“My father asked us to wait. Apparently my grandmother on his side is determined that we let her pick a date.”

“Let me get this straight: her grandson knocked a woman up and is having a shotgun wedding, and all she’s concerned about is the day we pick to get married?” Ruki laughs.

“I’ll have you know that this is not, by any means, a shotgun wedding.” Jen tickles her side, causing Ruki to jolt upright and rush to the opposite end of the sofa. “Wikipedia defines a shotgun wedding as a wedding that is arranged to avoid emba-”

Ruki groans. “Renamon got you into Wikipedia. I should’ve seen this coming.”

“No, Ruki, listen," Jen sounds unbearably earnest, and his eyes show nothing but sincerity. "A shotgun wedding is arranged to avoid embarrassment due to an unplanned pregnancy, and we’ve established that isn’t why we’re getting married.” He reaches forward to pull her back. “I don’t care what other people think but I want you to remember that, okay? I’m not marrying you because of the baby.”

She pulls him closer and kisses him because it's easier than looking into his eyes. “Okay.”

“How long is it going to take your grandmother to pick a day?” Ruki asks as they settle down.

“I don’t know.” Jen admits. “Hopefully not too long but you can’t rush these things, unless you want our marriage to be doomed the minute we sign those papers.” He exaggerates.

“Pretty sure that has nothing to do with the day you choose to get married.” Ruki points out, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

“Pretty sure you know nothing about the ancient Chinese art of feng shui.” Jen retorts.

Ruki shrugs. “True.” She concedes, and they both laugh.

After a while, she speaks up. “You do know feng shui has nothing to do with picking a date, right?”

“Ruki,” He grins, “frankly, I have no idea what feng shui is.”

She swats him on the arm and turns so that her eyes are on the TV, not him.

“Tell her to hurry up,” Ruki says, deliberately avoiding his eyes. “I’m not a very patient person.”

“Hey,” Jen bumps her shoulder with his own, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m pretty impatient to marry you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is as close to a filler-chapter as this story has gotten so far. I’m not very happy with it but what do I know, I’m just the girl who bangs away at a keyboard all day.
> 
> What do you guys think? Oh, and I’ll be getting back to reviews and messages soon, I promise. I’ve just been a bit short on time.


	9. Eight

**EIGHT**

* * *

He awakes to someone tapping out a beat on his skin.

It takes a moment to fully regain consciousness but Jen soon realizes Ruki is playing an imaginary piano on his arm, and she’s humming along. The melody sounds suspiciously like _Here Comes the Bride_.

“What time is it?” He asks, pinching the bridge of his nose. _Way too early_ , he decides before Ruki can speak.

“Six-eighteen.” She says instead, still tapping her fingers against his arm.

“You do realize we could have had another forty-two minutes of sleep.”

“And _you_ do realize it’s too early for math, even that sort.” Ruki grins, propping herself up on one arm. “Besides, I thought we could…” She trails off suggestively.

“Seriously?” Now fully awake, Jen shoots her an incredulous look. “Ruki, we didn’t even get to sleep until two last night.”

“Technically, this morning.” She corrects. “And you weren’t complaining then.”

Jen groans, though he can’t hide the smile that tugs at his lips. “You are insatiable.”

“ _I_ am perfectly fine.” Ruki huffs, pretending to take offense to Jen's claim. “My hormones, on the other hand, are pretty much insatiable, yes.” She smiles, and then laughs in celebration of her assumed victory when he pulls her back down. He blindsides her by winding an arm around her waist, pressing her to his side.

“Well, your hormones are just going to have to wait because I want my forty-two minutes of sleep.” Jen declares as he uses his free hand to pull the blankets up.

“I can’t believe you’re turning down sex.” Ruki grumbles, though she gives in and rests her head on his chest.

“I can’t believe three rounds weren’t enough for you.” He retorts, closing his eyes. It should be easy enough to slip back into sleep; after all, he’s only had four hours and eighteen minutes of it.

“That was last night.” She mumbles, childishly trying to get the last word since she’s been denied what she woke him up for. It’s very rare for him to deny Ruki anything, and Jen might be enjoying this more than he should.

Still, that doesn’t stop him from throwing her words back at her. “Technically, this morning.”

He doesn’t even regret it when Ruki rolls away from him and spends the next thirty-eight minutes facing the wall instead of him.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

“This is insane,” He tells her after breakfast, meeting her eyes in the mirror. She’s standing behind him, leaning against the bathroom door while he brushes his teeth.

“What?” Ruki asks, idly tracking his progress to the shower.

“This whole thing.” Jen says, standing under a spray of hot water. “Why did we plan it like this? It’s a crazy schedule, you know that. And it’s not like the office wouldn’t have given us at least a day off.”

Ruki sighs. He goes on while he works shampoo into his hair. “We could still change the plan, you know. Maybe we should call the office and tell them we’re down with the flu, so that we can have the whole day to ourselves.” Jen suggests. “Or we could reschedule the whole thing. Who gets married on a Thursday, anyway?”

“According to your grandmother, if we don’t do it today then our marriage will go up in flames and we’ll never have any harmony in our family.” She reminds him, and narrows her eyes at him while he rinses suds out of his hair. “Are you getting cold feet?”

“What?” Jen exclaims, turning around to look at her. “No! Ruki, no. I just… today’s going to be pretty chaotic, don’t you think? I don’t want you to get stressed, that’s all.”

“We go to the office,” Ruki ticks items off her fingers, walking him through the plan. “We work until lunch, we drive back home to change, Takato and Juri pick us up, we go to the municipal office, get married and then have dinner at my mom’s place. What’s so chaotic about that?”

Jen steps out of the shower, reaching blindly for a towel that’s nowhere near him. Ruki rolls her eyes – he always forgets – and tosses one at him. “Why are we even working today? Wouldn’t you rather we stay home and take our time getting ready or whatever?”

“Because,” Ruki sighs, “I want this day to feel as normal as possible.” She crosses her arms and glares at him. “We’ve been through this twenty times now.”

“Sorry,” Jen presses a kiss to her temple as he walks by. “I just want to make sure you’re okay with today. And it’s still odd that we’re taking the afternoon off from work to get married on a Thursday.”

“What do you have against Thursdays?” Ruki jokes, letting him know all is forgiven, if there was even anything to forgive in the first place.

“Nothing,” Jen shrugs. “Thursday’s a good day. Did you know the first time you let me take you out on a date was a Thursday?”

“You’re making that up.” Ruki accuses, only to stare at him when he shakes his head _no_. “How do you even remember these things?” She nearly cries in exasperation.

“Well,” Jen smiles, picking out clothes for the day. “I guess we know which one of us will never forget our anniversary.”

“Hey, I can remember important dates.” She protests.

“Sure you can,” He teases, and she decides not to say anything else because… well, she _is_ terrible with dates. It’s crossed her mind once or twice that she might forget her child’s birthday. They bask in a comfortable period of silence until Jen’s dressed and ready to go.

“The next time we’re back here, we’ll be hours away from getting married.” Jen realizes as they leave the room.

“We _are_ hours away from getting married.” Ruki points out. And then, “wow. I just crossed another thing off the list of stuff I thought I’d never say.”

“I have a feeling we’ll be crossing a lot of things off that list in the near future.” Jen tells her as they join the Digimon in the living room and proceed to make their way out of the apartment as a group.

“Throw _Jen, that’s not how you change a diaper!_ on that list.” Terriermon suggests. “I guarantee you’ll cross that one off by the end of this year.”

“Terriermon!”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Two minutes before noon, there’s a knock on her door.

“Are you ready?” Jen asks, letting himself in.

“To get married? Not at all.” Ruki quips as she shuts down her computer and shuffles around a few files and reports to make her desk look tidier.

“Hey: no take-backs, no last-minute cancellations, no leaving me at the altar.” Jen reminds her, quoting a few promises he’d jokingly extracted from her.

“There _is_ no altar.” She points out, joining him at the door. As soon as they cross the threshold and Ruki shuts the door behind her, all eyes fall upon them. At five months, there’s no hiding her pregnancy. She’s a bit smaller than some other women at twenty weeks but there’s no denying that her stomach has definitely passed the _oops, I had a very big lunch_ stage and is now firmly planted within the _I’m growing a little person_ category. She still hasn’t said anything though, and no one’s stupid (or brave) enough to ask her for confirmation, let alone approach her about paternity. There’s definitely a betting pool, though. Reika tells her Jen is the frontrunner, so maybe her co-workers aren’t as clueless as they sometimes seem.

“Where’s Renamon?” Jen asks in a bid to make conversation and distract her from their audience.

“I don’t know; she said something about promising my grandmother her opinion on the new garden furniture and then disappeared.” She tries to focus on Renamon’s absence, on Jen’s voice, even on the baby as she kicks away, stubbornly protesting her cramped quarters. Well, that’s one trait she definitely gets from her mom.

Still, the whispers follow them all the way to the lift.

“You know,” Jen says once they begin their descent. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Terriermon all morning, either.”

“Those two are up to something.” Ruki predicts as he places his hand against her stomach, waiting for a kick that isn’t coming. Her daughter has finally tired herself out, for now. “Oh, sure,” She huffs at the baby, “kick me all morning but stop when your father is here.”

“Contrary little thing.” Jen murmurs affectionately.

“Don’t encourage her!” She warns him as the metal door slides back to reveal the parking lot. They make their way to the car. “This is how teenage rebellions start.”

“Ruki,” Jen laughs as they get into the car, “if she’s anything like you, there’s nothing we can do to prevent a teenage rebellion.”

“Don’t make me call off the wedding, Jen.” She glares at him for his little joke.

“I won’t let you.” He retorts with a smile, pulling out of the underground lot. Traffic is light and the summer afternoon is less uncomfortable than usual. Still, Ruki cranks up the air conditioning and pulls off her blouse, leaving her in a camisole.

“Maybe save the stripping for later?” Jen suggests, turning to her as they stop at a red light.

Ruki pulls her hair up into a ponytail. “You try carrying around all of this extra weight in July; see how many layers of clothes you can bear then.”

“It’s not even _that_ much extra weight.”

She studies him with narrowed eyes for a moment, and decides to take his words as a compliment. “Flattery will get you nowhere; I’m already marrying you.”

Jen sighs in relief; he’d realized how dangerous his words could be right after they’d left his lips. Luckily, Ruki doesn’t seem to be susceptible to the infamous and dreaded pregnancy mood-swings… for now. He can only hope he won’t find her crying over random things and taking every word of his as a personal insult to her when she’s further along in her pregnancy.

Not much else is said as they drive home. Ruki calls out for Renamon and Terriermon as they step into their apartment but the three-bedroom home seems to be empty. Giving in to the summer heat, they decide to shower – separately, Ruki insists, because they’ve only got one hour until Takato and Juri show up.

That one hour turns out to be thirty minutes, because that’s how long they get to themselves before the doorbell rings.

“Who is it?” Ruki asks from their bedroom, where she's towel-drying her hair.

“I have no idea.” Jen tells her, doing up the buttons on his shirt as he pads out to the living room. “Probably Takato and Juri.”

“It’s too early.” Ruki points out. “Do you think something’s wrong?”

“I hope not,” Jen sighs, approaching the front door. “We can drive ourselves to the office but I was really hoping they’d be our witnesses.”

His concerns are forgotten as he opens the door to reveal his friends. “Hey, you guys. You’re early.”

“I’m here to make sure Ruki doesn’t wear jeans to her own wedding.” Juri announces, inviting herself in. “Takato’s here to hang out with you and do whatever a best man does before the wedding.”

“I’m not the best man.” Takato mumbles, smiling politely when Jen invites him in.

“Yes, you are.” Juri insists. “And I’m the maid of honor!”

Ruki steps out of the bedroom. “I don’t remember asking you.” She says to Juri, who grabs hold of her arm and pulls her back into the room.

“It’s an automatic thing, comes with being your only girl best friend.” Juri shrugs, closing the door behind her. She sets her bag down on top of the dresser. “Now, sit in that chair. We’ve only got half an hour and there’s so much to do.”

“Juri,” Ruki glares at her friend as she wanders into the bathroom.

“Oh,” Juri exclaims, ignoring Ruki. “The mirror here is huge! Get up and come in here, I’ll pull a chair over. The light’s great.”

The bride-to-be sighs in defeat, heading for the bathroom. “There’s no getting out of this, is there?”

“Nope!” Juri grins as Ruki jumps up and settles herself on the marble counter. “And I’m going to make sure you wear that dress we got. That is _not_ up for discussion.” She says firmly when the redhead groans. “Besides, I know you’re more comfortable in dresses than you are in pants these days.”

“I didn’t tell you that so that you could use it against me!” Ruki calls after her enthusiastic friend as Juri walks out to get her bag. She returns with supplies.

“You told me that because we’re friends and you trust me, which means I can use it any way I want to.” Juri says, rifling through her bag. “Now, settle down. This will only take a while.”

Thankfully, Juri sticks to her word and five minutes later, she’s helping Ruki into her dress. It’s not a proper, white wedding dress – Ruki had put her foot down on that - but it’s wedding-appropriate, according to Juri. The dress is the palest shade of lilac imaginable and comes down just past her knees in a fall of light, airy fabric. Chiffon, Juri had called it. Loose sleeves flutter around her elbows and the bodice is just fitted enough to hint at Ruki’s waist but leave the baby bump untouched.

“Shouldn’t this come last?” Ruki asks, pulling up the hidden zipper on the side.

Juri laughs. “You’d mess up your hair.”

Ruki concedes the point with a shrug and lets Juri maneuver her into a chair. Her best-friend-turned-wedding-stylist toys with the idea of leaving it down but Ruki insists that she puts it all up, pushing for something practical.

“It’s the middle of summer.” She snaps finally, winning the argument.

“Fine.” Juri sighs, getting to work. The end result is a pile of braids, with a cluster of tiny, white flowers winding through them like a crown.

“What’s this?” Ruki reaches up, her fingers hovering slightly above the flowers. They look so dainty, she’s afraid one touch might crush them.

“Well…” Juri smiles nervously. “You don’t want a bouquet and you said no veil, so I thought… If you really don’t like them,” She adds quickly, “I can take them out. We have enough time.”

“Just leave them,” She says dismissively. “I don’t want to sit in this chair for another ten minutes while you mess with my hair.”

Juri nods in relief and scrambles around the room to pack up her things while Ruki stares at herself in the mirror. The dress is casual enough and most importantly, comfortable. The make-up is, thankfully, light and subtle. And the flowers… well, they’re a nice touch.

Jen tells her so when she walks out, unreasonably nervous to let him see her this way. It’s stupid and it’s girly and it’s nothing like her but when he tells her she looks beautiful, Ruki’s stomach flutters.

Oh, wait.

That was just the baby.

“Alright then,” Takato stands up, gathering his and Jen’s jackets. “Let’s go get you two married!”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

The entire thing is shockingly anti-climactic.

It’s not like Ruki was expecting much; she’s known from the start that it’s a simple ceremony they’ll have in the municipal office, just signing a few papers and making some standard promises to each other. But she was expecting it to be different, somehow.

As it is, she walks into the place as Makino Ruki, signs her name over and over on dozens of papers and the next thing she knows, the person on duty tells her she’s officially married.

The most memorable moment of her wedding comes from Takato, when he gets sick and tired of people staring at Ruki’s stomach and whispering amongst themselves.

“They’ve been married for years, okay?” Takato yells at the entire waiting room, his hands clenched up in fists. “They’re just registering it in Japan today!”

That definitely draws more stares but most of the whispering stops, at least. Ruki shoots him a grateful smile and he gives her a sheepish one in return.

“Sorry,” Takato rubs the back of his head. “I just couldn’t stand the way they were looking at you guys.”

“Hey,” Ruki says, drawing his full attention. She smiles again.

“Thank you.”

Juri calls Takato away then, to sign some things as a witness. Jen moves closer to her, his lips by her left ear. His hand reaches for hers and squeezes.

“We’re married.” He whispers, smiling brightly.

“Congratulations,” Ruki grins, kissing him chastely. Their audience has seen enough as it is. “You managed to get me to go through with it.”

Their friends return then, having filled out the last of the paperwork. They pile into Takato’s car and head for the Makino house, filling the drive with endless teasing amongst the four of them.

“Hey,” Ruki says when they pull up to her childhood home. “Why don’t you guys join us?”

Takato and Juri share a look right before he kills the engine. “Sure,” The younger boy steps out of the car. “Why not?” He laughs weakly, which doesn’t escape Ruki’s notice. When their friends go ahead of them and walk into Ruki’s house without waiting for her to lead them in, she knows something’s up.

“What’s going on here?” She asks Jen quietly, noting that almost all of the lights have been turned off. Her grandmother always keeps the property well-lit.

Jen catches her hand with his own and laces their fingers together. “I have no idea.” After giving him a long, contemplative look, Ruki decides he’s telling the truth. So whatever it is, their friends haven’t roped Jen into it. Her family is definitely part of this, and maybe their Digimon too, taking into account their day-long absence.

A few feet ahead, Juri turns around. “I think I hear your grandmother in the back.”

“Lead the way,” Jen says with a smile before he turns back to Ruki. “She’s definitely up to something.”

They walk around the house, keeping to the outer walls until they reach the backyard.

“Hello?” Takato calls out, which is apparently a signal of some sort, because just then the entire garden lights up, revealing well-placed outdoor lighting, strands and strands of fairy lights twined around her grandmother’s trees and three big, round tables.

And standing around those tables are both of their families, their friends and all of the Digimon, including their own partners.

“Surprise!”

 .

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 .

 .

 .

After the shock wears off and they both realize what’s going on, they go around saying hello and thanking everyone. Jen is hidden from her sight as Hirokazu, Kenta and Ryo form a semi-circle around him. She decides to leave them be; Jen can handle those three. Ruki turns around and finds herself facing her new mother-in-law.

“Mrs. Lee,” She smiles nervously, painfully aware of the way her dress can’t quite hide her stomach. It’s the first time she’s seen Jen’s mother since his family found out about the baby.

“I think we’re past that now, don’t you?” Mayumi says warmly, reaching out to hug her. “Call me mother, if you’re alright with that.”

“I…” Ruki tries to react to the hug, awkwardly patting Mayumi’s back several times. The older woman laughs as she pulls away from the flustered bride.

“So, when’s the little one joining us?” Jen’s mother deftly switches the conversation, avoiding further awkwardness.

Ruki smiles. “She should be here mid-November.”

“It’s a girl?” Mayumi nearly squeals. “Oh, Jen didn’t tell me! That boy… and he didn’t even tell me about the baby in the first place; Janyu was the one who came home and told me.”

“I guess you’re going to find him and lecture him now?” Ruki subtly plants the idea in her head; it’s not that she’s trying to get rid of Mayumi; she’s just… well, trying to end this conversation. They’ll talk more later, when Jen’s around.

“See, you know me so well already.” The older woman smiles. “There he is. I’ll talk to you later, Ruki. And welcome to the family!”

She sighs in relief as Mayumi makes her way through the garden to where Jen is now talking to his father, leaving her with some time to herself until Ryo walks up to her.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in North Korea?”

“The team vetoed me.” Ryo shrugs. “Turns out, nuclear powers are off-limits to me. So I’m not allowed to piss off North Korea, China and Iran. A few others too, but you don’t expect me to memorize that list.”

“Besides,” He smirks. “I can only prevent one disaster at a time, so I picked this one.” Ryo looks around, as if studying the group of family and friends that have gathered here to celebrate. “Seems there’s not much of a disaster to avert, though.”

“If that’s your way of saying you approve of this, then you’re worse at small talk than I am.” Ruki crosses her arms.

Ryo holds both of his hands up to ward off any tension. “Hey, I’ll have you know that was my way of saying congratulations!”

“Impmon is better at that than you are.” She scoffs.

“Yeah, I’m losing my people skills.” Ryo admits. “The team’s helping, though. I’d forgotten what it feels like to be around the same people long enough to get to know them.”

“Do they worship you like Hirokazu?”

“Hell, no. They won’t even put up with any of my crap or let me get away with stupid stuff.” Ryo tells her with a smile that’s almost… fond.

“Good.” Ruki says, dropping her arms back to her sides. “Can’t have a group of highly-trained people with weapons fawning over you and going along with everything you say.”

“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t join the team.”

“Careful there, Akiyama.” She grins. “Hitting on a married woman is a whole other level of desperate, and I don’t think you want to sink that low.”

“Damn, Ruki.” He shakes his head. “You’re _married_. How crazy is that?”

“Crazier than you could possibly imagine.” She mutters.

“But this is what you want, right?” Ryo asks, serious for the first time this evening. “I mean, you’re okay with him?”

Ruki’s almost touched by his concern. “Don’t ever repeat what I’m about to say,” She warns. “But yes, this is what I want. I know it may sound crazy to you, to everyone but… I really do love him.”

“There’s nothing crazy about that.” Ryo says, an unexpected show of support. “Sure, it took some time to get used to the idea of it but you two fit, you know that? You balance each other out, and I think that’s very important if you’re going to be with someone for the rest of your life.”

“I think, Ruki,” He smiles and places a hand on her shoulder very briefly, pulling it away two seconds later. “You two will be very happy together.”

She doesn’t quite know how to respond to that, so she narrows her eyes at him and asks, “Are you drunk _already_?”

Ryo laughs. “Yeah, that confirms it. There’s just no playing nice when it comes to you, is there?”

“Nope.” She answers. Ryo shakes his head in exasperation.

“Alright, then. I’m going to get another drink. Your mother really knows how to throw a party.”

“My grandmother, you mean.” Ruki corrects. The look on Ryo’s face is almost too much.

“Wow. Your family’s really something, Makino.” It’s nice to hear that after an evening of being called _Mrs. Lee_ , albeit jokingly.

“Hey!” Ruki calls after him as he walks off, prompting him to turn around with a questioning look on his face.

“I appreciate the sentiment, Akiyama.” She smiles, thanking him for his earlier words.

“Congratulations, Ruki.” He grins in return, disappearing into the house.

Ruki sighs, placing a hand on her stomach as the baby starts kicking. “Well, look who finally decided to wake up.” She smiles, trying to soothe the baby by tracing circles over her bump. She walks around a bit, looking for Renamon. The fox is, predictably, hidden in the darkest corner of the garden, quietly observing the festivities.

“So, this is what my grandmother needed you for.” Ruki says in lieu of a greeting.

“She required my opinion on her garden, as I said.” Renamon smiles. “I was responsible for the lights, as well.”

“And the decorations?” Ruki asks, pointing out the paper lanterns suspended mid-air, strung from tree to tree.

“That was your mother, with Culumon’s help.”

Said Digimon is now curled up in a tree, finally worn out after an hour of flying about excitedly, perching on everyone’s shoulder to introduce himself and try to rope his new friends into a game.

“How many people were in on this, exactly?”

“Guardromon and Guilmon moved the tables out. Hirokazu, Kenta and Ryo helped with the chairs. MarineAngemon and Terriermon picked flowers, Jaarin and Shiuchon set the tables. Your grandmother and Jen’s mother were in the kitchen all afternoon. Impmon untangled the lights. Janyu and Rinchei went out to purchase better lighting when it was decided that the fairy lights wouldn’t be enough.”

“Wow.” Ruki says, at a loss for words at how much effort everyone has put into this evening, and how they’d all worked together. “And here I thought we were just coming over for a simple dinner.”

“It was all part of the plan.” Renamon tells her. “Juri came up with the idea when you asked her to be a witness, and she talked your family into organizing everything while she and Takato kept the two of you distracted.”

“I guess that’s why Takato took the longer route home.”

Renamon nods. “There was… a slight issue with the flowers.”

“Oh?” Ruki asks curiously.

“Culumon took them out of the bouquets Terriermon and MarineAngemon had arranged them in, and tried to decorate the paper lanterns. Your grandmother said we were very fortunate she’d decided to buy non-traditional lanterns, otherwise it would have been a massive fire hazard.”

Ruki laughs. “So much trouble from such a tiny thing.”

The two lapse into comfortable silence for a while. Ruki sighs, soaking up the sight of everyone she holds dear mingling about.

“Thank you.” She says quietly to Renamon without turning around to face her partner.

The fox places a hand on her Tamer’s shoulder. Unlike Ryo, who’d pulled his hand away as soon as possible for the safety of his limb, Renamon lets hers linger for a while.

“It was my pleasure.” She assures Ruki.

They stay that way for a while, until Ruki’s composed herself. “I guess I should go… mingle.”

“Perhaps we both should.” Renamon nods. Right before she heads off to where Terriermon and Guilmon are, she turns to Ruki. “You should say hello to Yamaki. I hear he has something to tell you.”

She walks off before Ruki can question her, leaving the redhead to ponder what it is her boss has to say. Jen joins her as soon as she returns to the main area of the party, stepping out from the shadows she and Renamon had taken refuge in.

“Did you have any idea about this?” Jen asks her as she slips her hand into his.

“Not at all. And I’m assuming you didn’t, either.”

“It took me completely by surprise. Did you know most of them took the day off from work to come and set up?”

“Renamon told me. Apparently they had a flower situation, thanks to Culumon.” Jen shoots her a mystified look. “I’ll tell you later. Have you spoken to Yamaki?”

“I haven’t actually. I was speaking with Reika earlier, though.” Jen tells her as she spots their boss. She uses their linked hands to pull him along with her, making their way to Yamaki.

“Come on, then.”

Yamaki spots them before they reach him, and meets them halfway.

“Congratulations, you two.” He offers with a smile, his usual sunglasses noticeably absent. Well, it _is_ night time.

“When’s it going to be your turn?” Jen asks teasingly.

Their boss looks taken aback. After a few failed attempts at a sentence, he settles on: “Reika and I aren’t the marrying type.”

“And you think I am?” Ruki retorts.

“Well, we _are_ here to celebrate your wedding.”

“Good point.” She shrugs.

“I have been known to make those from time to time.” Yamaki quips, glad that the newlyweds aren’t pursuing their earlier line of questioning. He’s happy with the way things are now… though perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to ask Reika if _she_ ’s happy this way.

“Now, I won’t keep you for long. I know for a fact that you, Ruki, haven’t spoken to your grandmother.” He says accusingly.

“Oops,” Ruki grins.

Yamaki nearly rolls his eyes at her behavior. “I’ve a wedding gift for the both of you.” He says instead.

“You really didn’t have to,” Jen says. “We’re just happy you and Reika could show up.”

“What he said, boss.” Ruki adds.

“You either accept it willingly or I order you to,” Yamaki tells them.

Ruki laughs. “Okay, I might call you _boss_ outside of the office but that doesn’t mean you can order us to accept a wedding present!”

“Oh, just watch me.” Yamaki says. “Makino Ruki, Lee Jenrya, I’m giving the both of you a week off, effective immediately. That is an order, and I don’t want to see you two anywhere near the office until next Monday.”

He turns around and walks off just like that.

“That’s more than a week!” Ruki calls after him.

“Next Monday, Miss Makino!” He calls back, leaving no room for argument.

“We didn’t even get to thank him.” Jen points out.

“He’s just going to avoid us for the rest of the night so that we can’t argue with him.” Ruki predicts. “Now, come on. Let’s go talk to my grandmother. It’s getting late and I’m tired.”

“Do you want to leave?” Jen asks, brows furrowed in concern. “We can go home if you’d like.”

“Right after we talk to my grandmother.” She tells him.

They make their way to one of the tables. Ruki sits down next to her grandmother and Jen takes the seat next to her.

“Hi, grandma.”

“Ruki!” Seiko smiles brightly, enveloping her granddaughter in a hug. “Jen.” She acknowledges warmly, nodding at the young man.

“We just wanted to say thank you for everything.” Ruki says. “It was a nice surprise.”

“Oh, you didn’t think I’d let you get married without throwing a party, did you now?” Her grandmother pats her arm affectionately. “I’ve been planning this ever since that husband of yours asked for our blessing.”

“What?” Ruki turns to Jen, who lets out a nervous laugh.

“I called your mom the week before I asked you.” He admits, avoiding her eyes. Ruki decides not to make a big deal out of it; it’s still a pretty common practice in these parts, after all. She should have known Jen would be one for tradition.

“I’m surprised she managed to keep it to herself.” She comments, earning a reproachful look from her grandmother.

“Don’t say that,” Seiko chides. “Your mother can be discreet when she wants to. She just… doesn’t often want to.”

As if on cue, the wind carries a burst of Rumiko’s laughter to their ears. Ruki spots her mother across the garden, talking to a star-struck Shiuchon.

“Right,” She drawls, eyes still on her mother. “Very discreet.”

“Anyway,” Ruki turns back to her grandmother. “Thank you for everything, grandma.”

“Are you leaving already?” Seiko frowns.

“We’ve had a pretty long day.” Jen says. “And Ruki hasn’t been sleeping well lately.” She elbows him in the gut for telling her grandmother that.

Seiko laughs at them. “Well, if you’d like, you could sleep here tonight. I’m sure you still remember the way to your room.” She says to Ruki, though she gives Jen a pointed look.

“Grandma!” Ruki cries, scandalized.

“You knew?” Jen asks incredulously.

“Oh, not about _that_ , at first. What sort of grandmother would I be if I knowingly allowed such behavior to continue under my roof?” She laughs again at the sight of the couple red-faced and wide-eyed. “But that’s all in the past now, so let’s not bring it up.”

“You’re the one who brought it up in the first place.” Ruki mumbles under her breath.

“I assume you won’t be spending the night, then?”

“Thank you for the offer,” Jen says politely, trying to regain his composure. “But I think we’ll just head home.”

After a bit more teasing, Seiko bids them goodnight. They make one last round to thank everyone and trade goodbyes before Renamon transports them home.

“I think I will return to the festivities.” Renamon says, subtly granting them some privacy. She disappears after congratulating them once more.

“Welcome home, Mrs. Lee.” Jen grins, sweeping Ruki off her feet. She’s too tired to protest and tell him that he’s supposed to carry her while crossing the threshold into the house, not their room. _Welcome home, Mrs. Lee._  Ruki contemplates the sound of that.

“Nope, still not taking your last name.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled with this chapter like you wouldn’t believe, which explains why it wasn’t up this morning. I’m still not happy with it but I think this is pretty much the best I can do right now, so just fill in whatever blanks you guys notice with your own fluff, please?
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed some of this, at least.


	10. Nine

**NINE**

* * *

“I’m home!” Jen announces, closing the door behind him.

Their apartment is unusually quiet for a Saturday morning. The Digimon had been around when he’d left two hours ago to join his father for some early-morning tai chi in the park but they seem to be absent now.

“In the kitchen!” Ruki calls back.

The thin curtains in their kitchen have been drawn back, leaving room for light to filter in as the sun climbs higher, approaching noon. Jen finds her sprawled out across the kitchen island, apparently dozing off.

“What are you doing?” He laughs.

Ruki doesn’t even open her eyes, just lets her lips curl up in a happy smile. “It feels so warm.”

All of the light coming in through the windows is focused on one spot, and that happens to be where Ruki’s napping. “You’re sunbathing,” Jen realizes. “Like a cat.”

“Like a happy, sleepy cat.” She agrees, stretching her arms.

“Would you rather go take a walk or something?”

She opens her eyes at that, and pulls herself up into a sitting position. “It’s too hot outside. I’m sunbathing, not tanning.”

“And here I thought those two were the same thing.” Jen quips, inspecting the contents of their fridge. He pulls out a bottle of cold water. “I’m going to get some groceries. Do you want anything?”

“Honeydew, green peas, almonds…” Ruki names a few of her recent cravings. “I’ll go with you; just give me ten minutes.” She decides.

“Take your time,” He says easily, walking over to help her down. Ruki slides over to the very edge of the marble countertop and carefully hops off, letting Jen keep her steady until her feet hit the ground. “How did you even get up in the first place?”

“Renamon helped me before she went out with Terriermon.” She tells him over her shoulder, heading for the bedroom.

He waits for her in the kitchen, sipping away at his water. Ruki’s back a short while later, having changed from her camisole and boxers into a loose top and shorts. She pulls her hair up as she enters the room. The heat’s been getting to her, with the last month of summer being the hottest of them all. Being six months pregnant probably isn’t doing her any favors, either.

“Ready?” She asks, snatching the bottle from Jen.

“You could have just asked, you know.” He points out as she gulps down the last mouthful of water.

"I’m not the kind of person to ask. You knew that when you married me.” Ruki grins, tossing the empty bottle into the recycle bin. Jen pulls her back as she walks past him and kisses her with a dopey smile on his face.

“Yeah, I knew exactly what I was getting myself into.” He murmurs, letting her lead him out to the front door.

“Any regrets?” She asks, doing an impressive job of keeping the words light and teasing to mask the tiniest bit of fear and doubt she still feels over an uncertain future.

Jen smiles, reaching out for her hand. “Never.”

“Good.” Ruki says quietly after a moment of studying his eyes. She traces circles over his wedding band while they’re in the lift, and they hold hands all the way to the car.

Ruki slips in and out of consciousness in the car, causing Jen to throw her worried looks at every turn. “You should-” He stops himself mid-sentence and decides to rephrase it. “You could have stayed at home if you’re this exhausted.”

“Hmm?” She opens her eyes and turns to face him, catching sight of his concerned eyes. “I’m fine, Jen. You know I’m just tired all the time these days.”

The baby has settled on a schedule and it is the exact opposite of her mother’s, which means she wakes up around eleven and kicks away for hours until Ruki gives up on sleep. It’s apparently a normal part of pregnancy, babies at their most active while their mothers try to rest. Some nights, though, Ruki wishes her daughter would just go to sleep like a normal person.

“That can’t be normal, Ruki.” He frowns, pulling into the parking lot. “I know pregnancy isn’t easy but this seems a bit too much. You’ve been sleep deprived for weeks now.”

“The doctor said everything’s fine.” She reminds him as they get out of the car.

“Yes, but that was two weeks ago.” Jen comes to stand by her side, his face lined with concern. She slips her hand into his and smiles, just to assure him everything’s okay.

“I’m alright, Jen. I’ll tell you if that changes, okay?”

He sighs; that’s probably the best deal he’ll get from her. “Okay. But you’ll let me know the _second_ you don’t feel well.”

“I promise.” She frees her hand from his to slip it around his neck, bringing him close enough to kiss his cheek. “Come on, let’s just get what we need and go home. Oh, and add ice-cream to the list.”

Jen laughs at her request and laces their fingers together once more as they make their way across the parking lot. They don’t get far before both of their Digivices start beeping.

They spot the thick fog just as Ruki’s phone starts ringing.

_“I’m sorry to call you on a Saturday,”_ Yamaki says. _“But there’s been another breach. It’s around the corner of-“_

“I know.” Ruki cuts in. “We’re standing right in front of it.”

_“Reika’s trying to block it; she can’t but it’ll buy us a few minutes, at least._ ” He tells her. _“I’m on my way with a team._ Don’t _go in there until we arrive.”_

“Why not?” She frowns. “If Jen and I can get there while they’re still Realizing, it’ll be easier for us to take them down while they’re disorientated.”

_“There’s no telling how many of them we’re facing, Ruki. It’s too dangerous. I’m ordering you to stand down.”_

“I make my own calls as a Tamer.” Ruki says stubbornly, hanging up on her boss. She’s about to fill Jen in on the situation when a familiar voice calls out to them.

“You guys!” Juri waves her hands in the air to get their attention, running over. Culumon beats her there, swinging himself into Ruki’s arms.

“Ruki!” The small Digimon cries, eyes wide and ears flapping wildly. “Something’s coming! Something big!” He burrows into the loose folds of Ruki’s top. “Culumon has a bad feeling about this.” Jen keeps his eyes on her as Juri joins them.

“We were right across the street when the Digital Field started appearing. Culumon saw you guys.” She pants, trying to catch her breath.

“Renamon.” Ruki summons her partner, who appears with Terriermon in tow. “We’ve got visitors.”

The fox nods. “I sensed it right before you called me.”

“It’s big,” Terriermon pitches in. “We were pretty far away but both of us could pick up on something.”

Ruki nods grimly, pulling out her Digivice. “We’re going in. Our best shot at taking this thing down is to attack it while it’s still confused.”

“Yamaki asked you not to, didn’t he?” Jen guesses, wrapping his fingers around her arm. “Ruki, this could be dangerous.” He says quietly, trying not to drag the others into this conversation. There’s no way he’ll be able to talk her out of this – she wouldn’t be Ruki if she let herself be talked out of danger and he doesn’t want to be the person to keep her from doing what she wants, even if he could – but the smart thing to do is to wait for Yamaki’s team, to gather as much intel as they can on what they’re facing.

“I’ll be fine,” She says, shrugging off his arm. “Don’t do this now, Jen. I can take care of myself.”

After the last few months of promising to be there for each other, to look out for each other, her words almost feel like a slap to his face. He remains silent while she turns to Juri and Culumon.

“Can you call Takato, please? I’ve a feeling we could use some back-up, especially if we get more company halfway through like the last time.”

Juri nods nervously and walks a few steps away to make her call. Culumon spirals up into the air.

“Get Guilmon now, Culu!” He announces, flying off.

“Alright, let’s get this started.” Ruki says, reaching for the pouch she’d clipped to her shorts. She didn’t bring much but the important cards are with her. “Jen?” She turns to him when he fails to keep up with her.

“Oh,” Jen says, seemingly snapped back into reality. “Right.” He nods, motioning for Terriermon to join him. His eyes don’t quite meet Ruki’s.

They walk into the Digital Field just as two Hypnos vans pull up.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

“Do you think the store’s still open?” Ruki asks after the invaders have been dealt with. It’s just the eight of them now; Yamaki’s team left after Ruki made it quite clear that there would be no trip to the office for statement-taking today. Instead, she got them to agree to an e-mail, on the condition that a detailed account will be sent over by this evening.

Takato arrived at the very last minute, joining a helpless Guilmon who’d gotten there ten minutes earlier and had been doing his best to help out without a Tamer around. Juri and Culumon stayed close the entire time, even after Hypnos set up a perimeter and urged them to stay behind the line, at least.

Jen doesn’t answer her question; now that the battle is over and she has time to think, he’s been very quiet. Maybe it was something she… Oh. She doesn’t want to bring that up while they’re still out, with Takato and Juri around. They’ll talk later.

She leaves everyone else to their conversation about the battle and walks off, intent on getting to the grocery store. Renamon joins her.

“This is definitely the most memorable trip to the store.” Ruki jokes. “Unless I end up giving birth here.”

“I would transport you to the nearest hospital before that could happen.” Renamon points out bluntly, no humor in her voice. If even Renamon won’t play along and pretend everything’s fine just for Ruki’s sake, then there’s no avoiding this conversation.

Ruki sighs. “That… lizard,” She settles on the description for lack of a better word; their enemies had been, once again, unidentifiable. “He was going to attack me.”

“He was.” Renamon nods. “You were too absorbed in this battle, Ruki. You put yourself and the child in danger.”

“I don’t need you judging me too!” Her Tamer snaps. She’s still for a while until she turns to Renamon. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I just…”

“You’re right.” Ruki sighs in defeat. “I always get carried away, you know that. Battles used to be my thing, and it’s been so long… I feel alive again.”

“That is not all there is to it.” The fox observes.

“It never is.” She whispers. “I’m six months pregnant, Renamon. It’s stupid but that makes me feel like I have something to prove, and to Jen more than anyone else. It’s so, so…”

“Stupid?” Renamon helpfully supplies, echoing her choice of words.

“Yes,” Her shoulders sag. “So incredibly stupid.”

They reach the entrance of the grocery store, which appears to be fully operational despite the inter-dimensional breach just around the corner. A string of benches lines the outer walls of the store, and Ruki jumps at the opportunity to get off her feet.

“Jen was right.” She buries her head in her hands. “He was right and the baby almost got hurt because I was stubborn and I wanted to prove him wrong.”

Renamon sits down next to her. “It has passed, and it is a lesson you had to learn. Be glad it did not cost you, and move on from it.”

“How am I supposed to _not_  think of what could have happened?” Ruki turns to her partner. “Renamon, what if-”

“Whatever you are imagining,” The fox interrupts her. “It did not happen. There is no point in dwelling on the possibilities.”

“I’m going to be a terrible mother.” She goes on, ignoring Renamon. “My baby isn’t even born yet and I’m already putting her in danger. I’m not meant to be a mother, Renamon. I’ve known this from the beginning. I’m selfish and I get too caught up in things, and I don’t _think_ sometimes. I can’t do this. I’m going to hurt her.”

“Ruki.” The Digimon says sharply. “Stop.”

“I can’t just _ignore_ what-”

“You are having a breakdown of sorts. You are sleep-deprived, and pregnant women are known to be more susceptible to emotional distress. The stress of today’s battle just happened to be the straw to break _your_ back.” Renamon tells her in a calm voice.

“Now,” She helps her Tamer up. “We will get what it is you require from this store, and then we will return home. You will rest upon our arrival, and if you still feel out of sorts after, you will discuss these concerns with Jen.”

Ruki smiles. It is weak, but it is the best she can muster right now. “I thought I’m the Tamer here. Shouldn't I be ordering you around?.”

“We are partners.” The fox reminds her. “That means we take care of each other, and today you are the one requiring care.”

“We’re friends.” Ruki corrects her as they finally make their way in. “And you’re a very good friend, Renamon. The best, I’d say.”

“You are my best friend as well.” Renamon smiles.

“Okay,” Her Tamer stands up straight as they enter the store, looking more like her usual self. “Enough of that before I start crying in public and tick off the last thing on the pregnant woman checklist.” Ruki picks a cart and makes her way to the frozen aisle.

“I’m going to need so much ice-cream to fix today.”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Jen and Terriermon join them at the check-out counter, adding a basket of their own to the pile of things on the conveyer belt. They pay and bag their things in silence, and Ruki remains quiet when he takes charge of the heavy cart as they head to the car.

He hands her the keys and tells her to start up the engine while he and Renamon move their bags into the car. She agrees easily and waits in her seat while the rest empty out their cart, and tries to think of something to say to Jen. He wouldn’t behave this way just because of what she said earlier; the way he’s acting, he probably witnessed her close call with the giant lizard.

It’s a troubling thought, the idea of him having seen that. Knowing Jen, he’s torn between equal parts of being disappointed in her and blaming himself for what nearly happened. More than anything else, she hates the thought of him shouldering the responsibility for her reckless behavior.

Still, she can’t come up with the words to tell him that. She gives up when he slides into the driver’s seat next to her, and decides it’s not a conversation to have in the car with their Digimon present, anyway.

“Are you okay?” Jen asks quietly after they leave the parking lot, eyes deliberately focused upon the road. His voice is tense, and he says nothing else when she simply nods. He doesn’t turn to her, not even once.

When they get back, he distributes the bags and hers are lighter than even Terriermon’s. She can feel the burn of Jen’s eyes upon her as she tries to swap with the rabbit but the small Digimon assures her he’s a lot stronger than he looks.

Terriermon supplies a steady stream of chatter all the way up to their apartment and keeps talking while they all put things away. He’s never been comfortable remaining quiet and this tense silence has even Ruki playing along, keeping up a conversation with the rabbit when he turns his attention to her.

“Do you think the baby will be a Tamer too?” Terriermon asks, shelving the last of the canned goods. Ruki’s heart seizes at the thought. She wouldn’t trade her memories and experiences as a Tamer for anything in the world, and she wouldn’t trade her bond with Renamon for _everything_ in the world. But even she can’t deny that being a Tamer has put her in more danger than most people face in a lifetime, and the idea of her daughter going through the same thing has her heart pounding.

Jen must feel the same way, because the paper bag he’s just emptied out crumples up under the force of his clenched fist. The crinkling of the paper sounds especially loud as it breaks the sudden silence Terriermon’s question has brought about.

“Maybe.” Ruki says for lack of a better answer. She folds up her own brown bag and sets it down on the counter before she turns around to leave the kitchen. “I’m going to rest.”

“Okay.” Terriermon replies, the only one to acknowledge her. Ruki half expects Renamon to follow her but her footsteps are the only ones she can make out as she heads for the bedroom. She releases the curtains to block out the late afternoon sunlight streaming in from the bay window and pulls out a change of clothes. A quick shower later, she dresses and slips under the covers. She’s been taking a lot of naps lately but she almost always picks the sofa as her resting place, and as she tries to sleep in a bed devoid of Jen’s body heat, she remembers why. The sofa isn’t big enough to feel empty without someone by her side.

She rests on her side and pulls her knees up to her chest, curling up into a ball. It’s not comfortable by any stretch, but it’s almost enough to make her feel warm as she falls asleep.

When she wakes, Ruki’s ears pick up on the rustling of fabric. She opens her eyes to find Jen getting dressed, after which he disappears into the bathroom to leave his towel in the laundry hamper. He’s about to reach for the doorknob when she speaks up.

“I’m sorry.” Ruki croaks in a voice hoarse from sleep, pulling herself up to rest against the headboard. She reaches for the glass of water on her nightstand and drains it as Jen turns around and slowly approaches their bed. After she sets the glass back down, she finds herself hugging her knees to her chest once more.

“What I said today was… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” She contemplates her words for a bit, trying to say the right thing. “I’m not… I mean, it’s true and we both know it: I can take care of myself. But I shouldn’t have snapped at you. And it doesn’t mean that I don’t want you to have my back or that I don’t need you to look out for me. I just…” Ruki sighs in frustration. Words have never been her strength; they belong to Jen.

“Everything’s been so well lately; I don’t… I don’t want us to go back to how things were before, Jen.” She admits, thinking of their earliest years. Ruki had pushed him so far then, kept him more than an arm’s length away; she’d been terrified of losing her independence, and even more scared of the idea of Jen turning into some sort of overbearing, over-protective lover, hovering around and suffocating her until she could take it no longer and ended up walking away from him.

She crawls over to the opposite end of the bed, where Jen’s taken a seat on the corner of the mattress, and reaches out to take his hand in her own. After a while, Jen lifts his free hand to rest it on top of their intertwined fingers.

“It’s okay,” He says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I messed up too, today. I let myself overthink what you said even though I knew you didn’t mean it and because I was so lost in my own thoughts, you almost… God, Ruki. Who knows what could have happened if Guilmon hadn’t shown up then?”

Jen pulls his hands away from hers and offers her another tight smile. “I made a mistake today, Ruki. Not you. I…” He runs a hand through his hair and stands up. “I’m sorry.” With that, he turns away and heads for the door.

Ruki throws a pillow at him. It bounces harmlessly off Jen’s head before landing on the floor, but it’s enough to make him turn around.

“What-”

“Damn it, Jen.” She fumes. “Why does everything have to be your fault? _How_ do you make everything your fault?” Ruki pulls at her hair in frustration.

“If you’re going to be that way, we might as well give up now. We can stop trying and just put in zero effort. I’ll be the crazy reckless one and you can be the idiot who blames himself for everything instead of _fixing_ things.”

The puzzled look on Jen’s face morphs into an expression of patience and understanding, and Ruki’s blood boils. “No.” She tells him before he can say anything to defend himself while simultaneously claiming the blame for every bump in the road they’ll ever face. “If all you’re going to say is _sorry_ and _it’s my fault_ , then you don’t get to say anything.”

“If I wanted a scapegoat, I would have married one!” Ruki nearly shouts, venting out the last of her anger. She’s breathing hard, nearly struggling to inhale. Her eyes start to burn with tears. Climbing out of bed, she walks over to Jen and takes his hand in her own.

“I am going to make _so_ many mistakes with this baby, Jen,” She whispers, looking him in the eye. “And I need you to stand up to me and help me, not just sit back and let me mess up, and then find a way to pin the blame on yourself.”

“I don’t need a martyr,” A tear finally escapes her, and a flood follows soon after. “I need a husband.”

Jen draws her into his arms. “Ruki,” He sighs into her hair, letting her cry herself out.

“You need to help me,” She chokes on a sob. “And sometimes that’s going to mean fighting against me, Jen, but please. I need you to do this for me, and for her. I don’t want to mess her up but I don’t know how _not_ to.”

“Okay,” He finally agrees, pulling her away from where she’s hiding against his chest. Jen frames her face with his hands. “Okay.” It’s stronger now, more certain; a promise to her and their daughter. Ruki smiles through her tears and kisses him.

When he pulls away to catch his breath, she takes him by the hand and pushes him down, climbing into his lap as he stumbles against the bed and falls on top of the mattress. He scrambles to pull himself upright and lean against the headboard, and she rests her head on his shoulder, trying to stifle the last of her sobs.

“I’m just… breaking down,” She says as he runs a hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. “Sleep deprivation and stress and whatever else Renamon said.”

He grins, hidden from her sight. “You sure it’s not your hormones?”

Ruki pulls away to glare at him; the effect is somewhat ruined by her tear-stained cheeks and bright eyes. “I am _not,_ ” She says slowly, biting off each word, “having a mood-swing.”

“Of course you’re not,” Jen agrees teasingly, kissing her temple. She huffs and pushes him away, climbing out of his lap.

Once she makes it clear that she no longer requires his presence, Jen gets to his feet. “Alright then,” He says, trying to hide his amusement at her behavior. She’s even crossed her arms. “I promised Terriermon I’d cook tonight, so dinner should be ready in an hour.”

Jen tries to leave for the third time, and is once again stopped by his wife.

“Wait,” She sniffles, wiping away lingering evidence of her little… breakdown. Ruki gets out of bed and pads into the bathroom. “I’ll come with you.” She says, turning on the faucet to splash some water on her face.

He waits until she joins him and slips her hand into his.

His fingers wrap around the doorknob, but he doesn’t open the door just yet. She meets his eyes with a questioning look when he turns to her.

“We’re going to be okay, Ruki.” Jen promises, leaning in until his forehead is against hers. It’s not something they do often but it’s intimate in its own way, how they have to close their eyes because their faces are too close, the way they share the same breath of air without kissing each other.

“Okay.” She whispers, keeping her eyes closed even after he pulls back to try and force her tears away. A few seconds later, she opens her eyes and smiles at him. Her eyes shine and so do his when he smiles back.

“Come on,” He opens the door. “Let’s see if we can make dinner without you setting off the fire alarm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the shortest chapter we’ve had in a while. 
> 
> When I started writing this, I panicked because I had no outline for this chapter. After a while though, I realized I’d missed this: writing just to see where it takes the characters. It’s how I wrote the first few chapters, and I actually prefer those to the more recent updates, which were so jam-packed and hurried because I had to cram certain events into specific chapters to keep the story moving in the direction I’ve mapped out. But in all the chaos of making things happen, I forgot to just let things happen. This is a chapter where I let the pieces fall where they may, and I’m quite happy with it. I hope you guys are, as well.


	11. Ten

**TEN**

* * *

“Wow,” Ruki grins as she checks on the icebox cake. “I think this actually turned out okay.”

Jen laughs as he picks up used pots and cooking utensils, bringing them all to the sink. “Maybe I should put you on dessert duty more often.”

Rounding up nine sets of plates and cutleries, Ruki starts setting the table while Jen cleans up the mess they’d made while cooking. Technically, she’s setting the kitchen island. The apartment is by no means cramped or small, but it does lack a dining area. The four of them usually make do but with two sets of parents and Shiuchon coming over for lunch, they’ve had no choice but to turn the marble countertop into a makeshift dining table. Renamon and Terriermon were sent out half an hour ago to shop for counter stools, to match their temporary dining table’s height.

“All done,” Ruki announces. She picks up on a particularly hard kick just as she sets down the last of the glasses, and jabs at the outline of her daughter’s foot in retaliation. The baby kicks again. “You are in so much trouble once you get out of there.” She warns.

“Stop threatening the baby.” Jen orders, trying to hide a smile.

“Tell her to stop beating me up first!” Ruki huffs childishly. She picks up a dishcloth and gets to work on the growing pile of washed dishes. “Brat,” She mutters, poking at her daughter once more. The foot has vanished from sight, for now.

“That’s a fight I’m not getting involved in,” He tells her, rinsing off a pan. “She definitely gets it from you.”

“What,” Ruki says sharply, “do you mean by that?” She sets down a dry plate a little too forcefully.

Jen’s shoulders stiffen. “Nothing!” He tells her, a nervous laugh forcing its way out of his throat. It’s times like these that he wishes he could carry around a white flag and wave it in surrender to let Ruki know he doesn’t mean to offend her. Something tells him that’ll only make her even more pissed off, though. “Only that,” Jen hurries to elaborate once he catches sight of the less-than-amused look on her face. “She’s just like you. That’s why you two keep clashing.”

“I hope she’ll look like you, too.” He throws in for good measure, chancing a glance at her. Ruki smirks.

“You can stop now, Jen. I’m not going to smash this plate over your head.” She bumps his shoulder with her own. After a while, he returns the playful move.

“I’m not kidding,” Jen says, still focused on the dishes. “I really do hope she’ll look just like you.”

“What, so we can do the whole matching mother/daughter thing?” Ruki scoffs. “No, thank you. Besides, don’t you want a little you?”

He speaks without thinking his words through. “The next one can look like me.”

“Next one, huh?” Ruki echoes lightly, turning to look at him. He can feel her eyes on him as he slowly puts down a half-clean plate and moves to face her. “I haven’t said yes.” She reminds him.

“You haven’t said no, either.” Jen counters quietly, dropping his eyes to the ground.

Ruki shrugs; he wasn’t expecting that. “I guess.” She concedes, turning back to the task at hand. “Let’s just focus on bringing this one into the world first, okay? And we’ve still got to name her.”

Jen picks up the plate and gets back to work. “About that,” He says, “I was thinking maybe you could come up with the name, and I’ll pick how we write it.” Finally done with the washing, he moves on to the stack of dried dishes and returns them to their rightful places.

“As long as we get to veto each other,” Ruki names her condition, balling up the now-damp dishcloth.

“Deal,” He agrees easily. “Now, come on. We’ve got an hour if you want to shower and change.”

“I’m seven months pregnant and I’ve just spent the whole morning cooking,” Ruki scrunches up her nose at how uncomfortably sweaty she feels now that she’s paying attention to herself. “Of course I want to shower.”

“ _The whole morning_ might be an exaggeration, don’t you think?” Jen teases as they make their way to the bedroom. “Besides, I did most of the cooking.”

She shuts the bathroom door in his face. “Just for that,” He strains to make out her words through the closed door, “I’m using up all of the hot water!”

“It doesn’t work like that, Ruki.” He says calmly as she turns on the shower.

“Just you wait and see!” She calls back petulantly.

Jen can’t help himself from laughing at her. She stays in the bathroom for nearly thirty minutes just to get back at him.

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

While everyone else lingers over empty plates and half-finished cake, Rumiko brings up the nursery. It isn’t long before everyone is asking to see the newly-refurnished room.

“I hope you two didn’t do this all by yourself,” Mayumi turns to her son and Ruki. “Most of the furniture in here was quite heavy.”

“Don’t worry,” Jen assures his mother. “Juri and the guys helped out a lot.”

“Those three?” Janyu joins the conversation. “How did you get them to agree in the first place?”

“We bribed them with pizza.” Ruki explains, much to everyone else’s amusement.

“And they’re even more terrified of Ruki now, so it wasn’t that hard to get them to help out.” Jen adds, earning an elbow to his gut.

“Well,” Mayumi says with a controlled smile, one that suggests she’s holding in laughter. “You’ve all done wonderfully. This room is definitely ready for a baby.”

“And it’s safe,” Seiko adds. “Not a single window in sight.” It’s true; the room features four cream walls, and not a single one of them holds a window.

“I suppose that’s a good thing when you have a little one,” Mayumi agrees. “But I never did like that when we lived here. Didn’t you mind it, Ruki? This room doesn’t get any sunlight.”

Oh. It’s only now that Ruki remembers this was supposedly the room she occupied when she first moved in, and Jen’s family remains in the dark about the truth. “No,” She lies easily, ignoring her family’s knowing looks. Curse her mother for smirking. “The rest of the place gets enough sunlight as it is, so I didn’t mind it in here.”

Mayumi and Janyu nod while Jen turns his attention to the ground. They’re silent for a while until Shiuchon saves the day.

“Oh, look! Are these replicas of our Digimon?” She asks, pointing to a baby mobile. Nine little figures dance in mid-air, each of them bearing a striking resemblance to their Digimon.

“Juri had it custom-made.” Terriermon explains, ambling in a few minutes too late. He’d stayed behind in the kitchen to finish up the cake.

When it becomes apparent that her partner isn’t with Terriermon, Ruki turns to the rabbit. “Where’s Renamon?”

“Still in the kitchen.” Terriermon yawns, dangerously close to sleep now that he’s had more than his fair share of lunch. “She said she’d clean up.”

“That’s not fair,” Ruki frowns. “I’m going to help her.”

Everyone else shuffles out in agreement, leaving the nursery behind for now. Terriermon plops himself down on the carpet. “Yeah, sounds great. You guys go ahead.”

Jen picks him up by one ear. “Come on, you. I’m betting you used up more dishes than anyone else.”

“Hey!” The rabbit cries in indignation, swinging himself up and around Jen’s shoulder. “I’ll have you know I used one plate for everything, and I ate the cake straight out of the serving plate so that doesn’t count.”

Rumiko laughs at their bickering as it fades away, until she’s left alone with her daughter.

“You can go ahead, you know,” Ruki says, turning off the lights.

“I’ll walk with you.” Her mother decides. She takes one last look at the room before Ruki closes the door. A mischievous grin lights up her face. “I bet you never spent a single night in that room.” She whispers, bursting out into laughter when Ruki’s cheeks heat up.

“Mother!”

“What?” Rumiko asks innocently. “We both know it’s true. I’m surprised no one’s told Jen’s parents.”

“Just make sure you aren’t the one to spill the beans,” Ruki warns her mother. “It’s better this way. There’s no point in bringing that up.”

“I suppose,” The older woman sighs as they join the others in the kitchen. Ruki shoots her mother one last warning look before they dive into the chaotic mess that is nine people fighting over the dishes.

“Enough,” Seiko declares with the kind of authority a person can only possess when they’re the oldest one in the room. “You two,” She points out Mayumi and Rumiko, “will join me. Janyu and Jen can clear the table. Ruki and Shiuchon will dry; Renamon and Terriermon are in charge of putting things back where they belong.”

Not a single person would disrespect Seiko by questioning her orders, so everyone gets to work; even Renamon, who thinks hers is the easiest task and should have been delegated to someone else.

The kitchen becomes a bustling hub of conversation and laughter as everyone does their part and before long, everything has been cleaned and put away. They move into the living room then, and stay there until the sun disappears.

“I guess we should be going now,” Janyu says around nine in the evening, vacating his spot on the sofa. “Tomorrow’s Monday, so I trust most of us have early wake-up calls.”

One by one, everyone follows his lead and soon, they’re all crowded by the front door to exchange goodbyes. Shiuchon is the last to leave, carrying a message from Terriermon to relay to Lopmon.

“Well,” Jen says, closing the door behind him. “I think that turned out well.”

Ruki sighs. “At least our families get along; imagine how much more stressful that would have been otherwise. Or worse, we would have to do this twice, once for each family.” She seems horrified by the thought of it.

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad.”

“No,” She agrees. “Just very, very tiring.”

They stop by the kitchen for a while, where Renamon and Terriermon are stocking up on snacks and drinks. “Are you guys off to the park?” Jen asks, watching Terriermon fill a bag with cookies.

“Yes; we will be back before midnight, as usual.” Renamon assures them, dropping two bottles of water into Terriermon’s bag.

“Have fun,” Ruki tells them, waving as they disappear from sight. She heads straight for the bedroom after that, claiming first shower. Jen checks his emails and gets to work on typing out a few replies until she relinquishes the shower to him.

When he comes out, Jen expects to see Ruki getting dressed, maybe even asleep already. So it’s with a touch of concern that he notes she isn’t anywhere in sight. He pulls on clothes as fast as he can before heading out of the room, only to come to a stop at the door next to theirs.

The door is slightly ajar, and when he pushes it open, the sight of Ruki greets him. She’s curled up on the ground, leaning against the wall.

“You know,” Jen says softly, trying not to startle her. “I _did_ build a rocking chair for you to sit in.”

Ruki scoffs. “I’d hardly call that _build_.”

“Hey,” He protests, sitting down next to her. “I figured out what goes where and drilled it all together; that counts.”

He waits for a retort that never comes. Instead, she leans her head on his shoulder.

“Your mother said this room is ready for a baby,” Ruki casts a look at the nursery they’ve put together. “But are we?”

“What?” That was unexpected.

“There’s nothing that I regret, Jen.” She assures him, still curled into his side. “But I’ve been so confident about this. In the beginning, I had to be. I made entire lists telling myself that we can do this, we’re ready for it. And we had so much time back then; I thought we’d have long enough to figure everything out.”

“And now we have less than two months.” Jen says, getting her point.

“Do you feel ready for this?” Ruki asks, fiddling with the hem of her nightshirt.

“I…” He struggles with an answer. On the one hand, he needs to assure her that everything is going to be fine, that they’ll be able to handle whatever challenges the baby brings their way. But on the other hand, he’s just as lost as her, and he can’t hide it. “No, not at all.”

She sighs. “Same here.”

“We’re going to be fine, though.” Jen forces the words out for her sake. “I mean, we’ve got our parents. I’m sure they’ll let us know if we really mess up.” He thinks on his words for a while, then repeats them with more conviction. “We’re going to be fine.”

“Keep saying that,” Ruki pats his arm almost condescendingly. After months of mood-swings and out-of-character sweetness, this is comfortingly familiar. She’s always at her sharpest and most hurtful when she’s scared and lost. “Maybe you’ll start believing it eventually.”

“Maybe you will, too.” He says, too tired to let her bait him into an argument.

Ruki’s fist shoots out to land a half-hearted hit on his arm. “Stop being so nice to me,” She grumbles. “You know I need to find something to be pissed at to distract myself from this.”

“The bookshelf,” Jen suggests. “I couldn’t figure out where one of the screws go so now it’s just sitting there and this shelf is pretending to be complete even though it’s obviously not. Go pick a fight with that.”

After a beat of silence, they both start laughing.

“Idiot,” Ruki shakes her head affectionately.

“Did it really take you that long to figure it out?”

“I’ve known since the day I met you. Tamer who wouldn’t let his partner fight," She scoffs. "Ridiculous.”

“Hey, if you’re going to start, then I have a few words for you. Who goes around challenging random guys to Digimon battles?” He pauses for a moment. “I’ve always wondered, actually. Takato was the first Tamer you ever met, right?”

“First one other than myself.” Ruki affirms.

“So why was your first reaction to challenge him, not get to know him or find out how he became a Tamer? I mean, wasn’t it a surprise for you to find out there were others?”

“Come on, Jen. Didn’t you always figure there were others? I didn’t think I was special enough to be the only one. Of course,” She mumbles, “I didn’t think there would be so many others, either.” They both know she’s referring to Hirokazu and Kenta. Ryo – well, at least he proved himself to be a worthy Tamer. But sometimes she wonders how those two were ever considered worthy of Digimon partners. Jen likes to think it was the power of their belief; after all, that seems to be a big part of the Tamer/Digimon partnership. If belief can make cards work, then maybe enough of it could earn you a Digimon partner. Hirokazu and Kenta had maintained their belief the entire time they were in the Digital World, trusting that they would find their partners eventually.

They lapse into silence after that; this is a discussion they’ve had many times, and there’s really nothing new for him to say to Ruki. After a while, she bumps her shoulder against his.

“You did it, you know.”

“What?” He fakes ignorance.

“You know exactly what.” She huffs when he remains silent. “Fine, you win. You distracted me from my panic attack.”

“Well, obviously I didn’t do enough.” He points out. “You’re still freaking out, aren’t you?”

Ruki sighs. “A bit,” She admits. “But I’m starting to think… that maybe it’s okay. Maybe I’m just always going to be worried about this, and her, and the whole parenting thing. I’m going to think I’m not holding her right, and after that I’m going to worry that I’m not teaching her the alphabet early enough, and years from now I’m going to freak out about her manners and think I didn’t bring her up the right way. I think that’s just what parenting is.” She turns to Jen for some sort of support.

“I’ll save the freaking out for when she starts dating,” He jokes, trying to lighten things up. Ruki laughs.

“I’ll do the worrying for now and you can take charge of that when she’s a teenager.” She proposes.

Jen smiles and gets up. “Deal,” He says, offering her a hand. Ruki takes it, only because she’s pretty much lost the ability to pull herself up on her own these days. “Now can we please go to sleep?”

His words coincide with a yawn from Ruki. “I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, sleepyhead.”

She lets him lead her out of the nursery, turning off the lights as they leave. Ruki takes one last look at the room and tries to picture their daughter sleeping in the crib. The image still worries her – the baby will be so tiny, should she even be left on her own? What if she gets tangled up in her blankets? What if she chokes on her own saliva? What if, God forbid, their baby isn’t as healthy as the doctor says and they won’t find out until she’s born, until something happens in the middle of the night?

But for the first time, she’s able to push down all of those concerns and let that picture – her daughter, curled up in bed, clutching her blankets with little fists – fill her with warmth and joy.

Ruki smiles, earning a curious look from Jen as they enter their bedroom.

“What?” He asks with a smile of his own.

“I think,” She says, echoing his earlier words, “we’re going to be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About a thousand-five-hundred words into this chapter, I realized I was stumped and tried to start over. That went a bit better, but by ten o’clock, I had only three hundred words. So I’ve decided to go with this anyway. It’s very short and pretty much just a filler but I really wanted to put up a new chapter for you guys.
> 
> Also, three more chapters plus an epilogue left. Countdown starts now!


	12. Eleven

**ELEVEN**

* * *

Her phone lights up, alerting her to the time as well as an incoming call.

“I’m late, I know,” Ruki says, hurriedly getting out of her seat to reach for her jacket. “I’m coming down now, just give me-”

_“What? Ruki, I’m not calling because you’re ten minutes late for lunch.”_

“Seven minutes,” She corrects Jen, slowing her pace now that she doesn’t have to rush downstairs. Still, something must be up, and that something is probably going to require her leaving her office. Ruki shrugs on her jacket; even the office can’t keep out the slight chill of October’s winds as winter approaches. “What’s going on?”

Renamon materializes just as Jen fills her in on the situation. _“You need to come up to the Observatory,”_ He tells her, referring to Reika’s workplace. _“Something’s going on and we think it might be related to those unidentifiable Digimon.”_

She promises to be there in five minutes and hangs up, quickly heading for her door. Renamon keeps up with her and they walk in silence, both too distracted by what the Observatory might hold. The recent waves of invaders aren’t a real threat, not in the way the D-Reaper or the Devas had been. They’re easily handled and contained, especially with all of the Tamers on guard. Still, everyone’s a bit unsettled by these sudden attacks after years of peace between the two species, and there’s been a lot of pressure on Hypnos to come up with the answers no one can find.

Twelve floors up and steel doors part to reveal a dark cavern. Ruki tries to storm up the flight of stairs as quickly as she can, but ends up taking them one by one thanks to the added weight of her child. Renamon stays by her side, maintaining the same pace as her Tamer. Thankfully, it doesn’t take too long before they reach the top, where Yamaki and Jen stand in the center of a bustling crowd comprised of technicians, scientists and field agents.

“Ruki!” Jen calls out as soon as he spots her, and the men make their way over to the new arrivals. She’s glad they’re not making her brave the crowds to get to them instead. Above them all, Reika remains in position, fingers flying across multiple keyboards as she tracks the surge of activity. Alarms ring incessantly and bounce off the walls to echo in the open space, adding to the chaos.

“What is going on?” Ruki asks. She’s vaguely aware of Renamon leaping into the air to reach Reika’s post, probably to get a better view of what’s going on or to offer her assistance. Terriermon, clinging to Jen’s neck like a child demanding a piggyback ride, merely shrugs while Yamaki breaks down the situation.

“Something has been building up all morning, but Reika didn’t call anything in until half an hour ago, when the activity surged from average levels and spiked into something noteworthy. We’ve been trying to track it ever since but the signal is bouncing off multiple locations. It got even more erratic ten minutes ago, when we picked up on something within the range of critical levels.”

Jen picks up from there. “It matches previous events but this is on a much bigger scale. If you do the math and calculate the differences between our two battles and this event, we’re estimating something numbering within three digits, possibly upwards of seven hundred.”

“Digimon?” Ruki gasps. “ _Seven hundred_ Digimon?”

“And we still have no idea where they could be.” Terriermon pipes up.

Renamon joins them then, jumping down from Reika’s post. “A massive amount of data is being transferred. In this day and age, that is no rare thing. But the readings match those of our previous encounters almost exactly, and that is troubling.”

“Is there any way for you to track it?” Ruki turns to her partner, beating Yamaki to the question.

“I can detect four similar transfers happening right now, but they seem to be of the average kind.” Renamon says. “Your world processes large quantities of data every day, especially now that the network is so much more advanced that it used to be.”

Reika jumps off the last rung on the metal ladder leading up to her post and quickly makes her way over to them, just in time to catch most of Renamon’s sentence. “Is there any way for you to check those four events out? It’s a small number; we could easily pursue all of them as leads. And all we need is for you to get us a location while this transfer is still on-”

“Wait,” Jen interrupts her, motioning for all of them to keep quiet. The sudden silence that has fallen upon the room is deafening.

“The alarms have stopped,” Ruki whispers.

The previously chaotic group of Hypnos employees is now completely quiet, and Reika is the first one to break the tense silence when she calls up to Megumi, who remains in her position. The girl confirms that all activity has ceased, no data is to be found and everything is stable.

“This can’t be good.” Yamaki mutters, reaching into his pocket for a lighter he no longer carries. Reika slips her hand into his instead, maintaining a tight grip on his fingers to keep them from twitching nervously. They’re not as secretive about their relationship as Jen and Ruki were (and still are, considering the fact that half of the office is still taking bets on the identity of Ruki’s ‘baby daddy’) but it’s a rare show of affection in their workplace.

“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Reika points out, trying to calm them all down. “Megumi and I will see if we picked up anything of use. Renamon, did you happen to catch the coordinates of those four events?”

The fox shakes her head. “I only tracked down three, and something tells me the fourth one is what we’re looking for.”

“It can’t hurt to at least check those places out.” Ruki suggests, and Reika hands a tab over to Renamon, who keys in the relevant numbers.

“Alright then,” Reika smiles, letting go of Yamaki’s hand. “I guess this is it for now. I’ll get to work; the rest of you should go get some lunch.”

Terriermon cheers at that and starts suggesting restaurants. Yamaki promises to have food brought up to Reika and Megumi, since they’ll be skipping their lunch break.

When they step into the lift, Jen hits the buttons for Yamaki’s floor and his own. “I need to get some stuff from my desk first,” He tells Ruki when she shoots him a questioning look.

Yamaki makes use of their short time together – his office is only a few floors away – to switch things up. “I’m placing both of you on active duty for as long as this case is open.”

Ruki is the first to react. “Are you sure? We haven’t been on a Strike Team since-”

“I know it’s been a while,” Yamaki cuts in. “But if someone’s building an army – you said seven hundred, right?” He double-checks with Jen, who merely nods. “Look, if someone’s smart enough to build an army of seven hundred Digimon and somehow keep it from us until now, then I’m going to need the both of you focused on this case.”

“I’ll put together a team, and you’ll work with Reika. Whatever research you were working on, whatever partnerships you were trying to establish – all of it is on hold until we get this genius.” His last word is only half-sarcastic, and they’re all aware of it. To pull something like this off, and to somehow stay under Hypnos’ radar the entire time… well, it's impressive, to say the least.

“Okay.” Ruki shrugs.

“Okay?” Jen questions his wife.

“You heard the boss – it’s an army of _hundreds_ , Jen. That definitely takes priority.” She turns to Yamaki. “We’ll find this guy.”

“Good.” Their boss nods as they stop on his floor. “I’ll see you later. Enjoy your lunch.”

“Don’t forget, you need to eat too!” Terriermon reminds him as the doors slide together, and they all catch the twitch of his lips that turns into a genuine smile right before the doors block him from sight.

“ _Okay_?” Jen quotes her as soon as the lift starts moving again. “Ruki, you can’t be on active duty; you could go into labor any day now!”

She successfully fights against the instinct to snap at him for telling her what she can’t do. Jen’s right and they both know it. Even Renamon and Terriermon seem to be in agreement. “Look,” Ruki sighs. “It’s not like we’re being called into the field right now. And with the way things are going, I’ll probably end up giving birth to this baby before we get any further leads.”

“Then why accept the switch?” Renamon questions as they exit the lift.

“Reika could definitely use more help on this. Besides, it’ll just be us checking out a lot of potential leads, maybe running some background checks on possible suspects.” She turns to Jen and takes his hand, drawing his eyes to her own.

“Look, if we actually find something and Yamaki needs a team to go shoot at some building until we scare this guy into giving up, I’ll sit it out, okay? I’ll stay here.”

Jen takes a moment to consider her words. “Alright,” He nods, figuring this is, as usual, the best deal he’ll get. Letting go of Ruki’s hand, he turns into the main workspace of the floor. “I’m just going to get my phone and jacket.”

Terriermon chases after his Tamer while Ruki and Renamon stay where they are. “We’ll just wait here,” Ruki says. As soon as Jen is out of sight, she stalks into the break room. Renamon trails behind with a sigh. Her Tamer is up to something.

“Kent!” She smiles brightly at the former intern, who nearly chokes on his coffee. “How are you doing?”

“Um,” The boy stammers, putting down his drink. “I, ah,” He reaches for a napkin to wipe droplets of coffee off his hand. “I’m alright, thank you. What can I do for you, ma’am?”

“I’ve a favor to ask you.” Ruki says bluntly. The boy sighs in relief and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like _okay, that explains it_. She lets it slide. “Hypnos has taken you on as a full-time researcher, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Kent grins. “Took me about six months but I got the job!” As intimidated as he apparently is by Ruki, the idea of finally being a full-fledged Hypnos employee is so exciting that he can’t even hide his enthusiasm.

“Congratulations,” Ruki acknowledges. “Now, I’m sure you’ve realized that sometimes the researchers take on independent projects, mostly as favors to other departments in the building.”

Kent nods, his grin fading into an expression that is equal parts curious and suspicious.

“I need you to look into something related to the Digital World. Specifically,” Ruki inhales, aware of Renamon standing to her right, just a step behind her. “I need you to figure out how an unborn child would be affected if its mother were to make a trip to the Digital World.”

Her words hang in the air for a long moment, made all the more uncomfortable by the way Renamon’s shoulder stiffen and her eyes widen. “Ruki,” She hisses, trying to warn her Tamer against such a thing.

“Oh.” Kent finally says. “Ah, well, recorded data suggests that the Digital World is able to process any visitor almost flawlessly, and rarely ever ends up corrupting data.” Catching sight of Ruki’s blank look, he translates, “The baby, born or not, should be just fine… especially if the mother’s body is used to making such trips.” He adds, subtly fishing for more information.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll understand if _should be just fine_ isn’t enough.” Ruki says with a smile that’s barely there, just to be polite. She doesn’t confirm if she’s the mother planning to visit the Digital World; all three of them know what’s going on here. “Can you look into this and tell me, conclusively, what the outcome would be?”

“I should be able to,” Kent says slowly, hesitantly. “You do know that I can’t be a hundred percent sure, though.”

“How sure can you be?” She demands.

“Uh, ninety percent? Maybe up to ninety-seven.” He estimates, fingers nervously tapping on the lid of his drink.

“That should be good enough,” Ruki sighs. She decides to wrap up their conversation; Jen should be back soon. Knowing him, he probably had to sit down and properly shut down his computer, buying her a few extra minutes.

“Uh, ma’am-”

“Ruki,” She corrects.

“Right.” Kent nods, but he still doesn’t use her name. “Um, I just – I was wondering: why did you pick me?”

She smiles. “Well, I’ve seen the way Terriermon’s bonded with you. That’s usually a sure sign that I can trust someone.” Or it’s a sign that the rabbit has a person completely wrapped around his finger and can manipulate them into buying him food, but Ruki keeps that to herself. “And I can tell that you’re more scared of me than Jen, so you probably won’t inform him about this.”

“Ah,” Kent smiles sheepishly. “It’s just, you have to understand – I’m only a few years younger than you guys, but that means I spent most of my formative years looking up to you Tamers. I was already into Digimon as a kid, and then the whole D-Reaper thing happened. You were like real-life superheroes to me. And you’re the Digimon Queen!” His excitement gets the best of him and Ruki watches in amusement as he rambles on.

“I mean, you were the first girl to ever place in a tournament, and you placed _first_. And everyone knows you’ve got the most skill of all the Tamers. Plus, your partner is Renamon!” He motions wildly at the fox by her side. Ruki catches an amused chuckle from her partner, but it’s quiet enough that she’s the only one to hear it.

“Wow,” She says to Kent, just the slightest bit stunned. “I didn’t know you were such a fan.”

He laughs nervously. “Yeah, well, I had to learn to hide it after my first few days here.”

“Your fanboying made Jen uncomfortable, didn’t it?” Ruki asks with a knowing smile.

A hand comes to rest on her back. “Oh, you don’t even know the half of it.” Jen says, catching her by surprise. She’s glad Kent somehow managed to change the subject before he arrived. “Terriermon was quite flattered, though.”

Said Digimon ambles in. “Huh? Oh, yeah, Kent buys the best doughnuts.”

“What?” Jen turns to his Digimon, shooting the rabbit a puzzled look. “Do you even know what’s going on right now?”

“Not at all,” Terriermon says seriously. “The hunger’s gotten to my head.”

“Sandwich?” Kent offers, holding out his plate.

“It’s alright, Kent,” Jen tells the boy with a smile. “We were just about to leave for lunch. Come on, drama queen,” He picks Terriermon up and lets the rabbit cling to his arm.

“Alright, then,” Kent shrugs, taking a bite out of his lunch. “I’ll see you guys later.”

Jen turns around and is the first to leave, with Renamon right behind him.

“Thank you,” Ruki says quietly, before she leaves to catch up with the others.

“So,” Jen says as they wait for the lift. “I’m guessing you want something local?”

Ruki shrugs. “We can have Chinese, if you want.” After months of intense cravings, she’s glad her appetite has finally calmed down to a point where she’s actually fine with eating anywhere.

“Guys!” Terriermon butts in. “There’s this new restaurant Guilmon was telling me about. I think it’s nearby.”

“What’s it called?” Jen asks.

“Um…” Terriermon’s ears slump downwards in defeat. “I have no idea.”

Even as Ruki makes herself laugh along with Jen, and eventually Terriermon, who joins in to poke fun at himself, she can feel Renamon observing her, probably wondering what she’s up to.

When they reach the garage, she slows down while Jen and Terriermon go ahead. As expected, Renamon stays by her side.

“Don’t worry,” She assures the fox. “I’m not planning anything; I just want to know in case something happens with this whole Digimon army situation.”

Renamon shoots her a long, evaluating look. Finally, she gives Ruki a simple nod before her eyes return to the front, watching their path as they walk towards the car.

“I suppose it is better to know these things in advance.” Renamon concedes as they get into the car.

They end up driving up and down two blocks before Terriermon finds the new restaurant. It’s a modern place, the kind that boasts a fusion menu and serves a bit of everything. Apparently, the food is good. Ruki knows this because that is what everyone else says. She’s too distracted to pay attention to her own food and pass judgment on it.

No matter what tests Kent comes up with, he won’t be able to give her a definitive answer. Ninety-seven percent, he’d said. If things get bad enough to necessitate a visit to the Digital World, Ruki knows she won’t be able to let Jen go on his own, and there’s no way she’d let Renamon battle without a partner.

How big of a risk can three percent be?

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Around two o’clock, there’s a knock on her door.

Renamon is already upstairs, helping Reika, but Ruki’s decided to spend the rest of the day in her department, sorting things out for her absence during her reassignment as well as her maternity leave.

When the door opens, the first thing Ruki notices is the absolute silence that’s fallen across her department. As soon as her visitor steps in though, it all makes sense.

“Yamaki.” She tries to stand up to greet him, but he quickly waves her back down and chides her for being so formal. Ruki catches sight of many wide-eyed looks as her boss shuts the door behind him. It’s very rare to see him on this floor, and she can’t blame her staff for their curiosity.

“So,” Yamaki tugs on one of the two chairs pushed against her desk and sits down. “Something has come to my attention.”

“Oh?” Ruki asks, abandoning her work.

“Apparently, that kid of yours is pretty much ready to pop out anytime now.” He leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, and somehow makes Ruki feel like it’s his office they’re sitting in.

“Let me guess: you had no idea until Reika told you.”

“Well,” Yamaki draws out the word. “I will admit that the last few months have gone by pretty fast, and I was not keeping track of your pregnancy. Besides,” He throws an accusing look her way, “I was counting on you to let me know when it’s time for your maternity leave.”

“Well, it’s not time yet.” Ruki states defensively.

“Ruki, you’re eight months pregnant.”

“Eight and a half,” She mumbles.

“See?” Yamaki sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “My point exactly.”

“So you’re going to kick me out now?” Ruki challenges, though she’s already given in. At least she’s only got two weeks of free time to kill. If Yamaki had tried to put her on leave with a month left in her pregnancy, she’d probably have gone crazy within the first week.

“Reika just called me a slave driver,” He tells her. “And I don’t want you to give birth in this building. So yes, I’m taking you off the Strike Team, I’m relieving you of your duties to this department for the next two months and I’m asking you to go home, right now.”

“Can I at least have five minutes to get my things?” She asks flatly.

“I- I didn’t mean _right this second_ ,” Yamaki rolls his eyes, getting to his feet. “Look, as long as you’re not going to fight this-”

“What’s the point?” Ruki butts in. “You’ll just pull your _I’m the big boss_ card and I’ll have wasted half an hour on an argument I can’t win.”

“Exactly,” He nods with a smirk. “Impending motherhood has made you wise.”

“Experience and countless losses in our arguments have made me wise.” She counters sharply before giving in to a smile. “Go on, then. Get back to your very important big boss duties. Or would you rather personally escort me out of the building?”

Yamaki laughs. “What a scene that would make.”

“Imagine the gossip,” Ruki agrees.

“Slave driver and all-around terrible boss fires pregnant executive.” He intones solemnly, as if dictating a newspaper headline.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Ruki grins, making her way to the door. She holds it open for Yamaki. “I’ll see you when I see you, boss.”

“You’re kicking me out, aren’t you?” Yamaki grumbles, stopping by the entrance. “I’ll leave. But you better do the same, Ruki. I’ll have someone check on you in an hour.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m not actually going to go into labor any minute now, you do know that.”

“That’s what they all say and the next thing you know, a baby in my building.” He jokes, finally crossing the threshold. Once again, the entire floor falls silent.

“Call when the kid comes out, I guess.” Yamaki says quietly, aware of their eavesdropping audience. “Reika would want to visit you in the hospital.”

“I’ll call,” Ruki promises. He nods and they exchange goodbyes before she shuts the door, hiding herself from her staff. While cleaning out her office, she calls on Renamon.

“Yamaki just put me on maternity leave,” Ruki explains, double-checking the office to make sure she hasn’t left anything personal behind. There’s a possibility someone else might use her office while she’s on leave. She hasn’t actually elected a replacement, choosing instead to delegate her work to a group of her staff. It’s the first time Ruki’s ever taken more than a week off and she can’t help but worry about all the potential chaos her absence might create.

Renamon helps her by pulling out drawers to make sure they’re filled only with work-related items. She finds a change of clothes in the last drawer on the left and hands it to Ruki. “Do you wish for me to stay with you while you are on leave?”

“If you want some time off, I wouldn’t mind the company.” Ruki shrugs, unearthing a folded recycle bag from some promotional event. At least she has something to throw all of her stuff into. “But don’t feel like you have to stay with me. You’d be better off here, helping Reika.”

The fox nods. “If you are alright on your own, then I intend to continue my work here.”

“I’ll be fine,” Ruki says dismissively, pushing her chair against the table. “I think that’s about it,” She sighs, taking one last look at her office. It’s become as familiar to her as the living room in their apartment, and after spending most of her time here for the past three years, it’s odd to think that she won’t be coming back for the next two months.

“You can go back to work now,” She tells Renamon, heading for the door. “I’ll go hang out with Jen until it’s time to go home.”

“Would you not prefer that I transport you home first?” Renamon asks.

Ruki opens her door. “I’m fine,” She assures the fox. “Now go, help Reika figure things out before we have to deal with seven hundred Digimon.”

Her partner nods, and is gone within seconds. Ruki stops by her assistant’s desk on her way out.

“Hana,” She calls to draw the girl’s attention.

“Oh, Miss Makino. I have the reports you wanted and the-”

“I’m not here for that,” Ruki waves away the paperwork, prompting her assistant to drop it all back into a drawer. “I’m officially on maternity leave now.” It’s the first time she’s actually acknowledged her pregnancy out loud to her staff. She hands the stunned girl a file.

“In here, you’ll find instructions on what to do while I’m gone. A group of you will be running things in my place, and I want all of you to work together. Don’t hesitate to call me if anything comes up or you need help.”

“O… okay.” Hana stutters, taking the file.

“Hana,” Ruki says, waiting for the girl to look at her before she continues. “I mean it. Call me if anything comes up. I’d rather come in a day or two while I’m on leave than come back two months later to a huge mess.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Hana says quickly.

“Good.” Ruki nods. “That said, I’m sure all of you will do just fine.” She thinks of ending the conversation then, but a mischievous grin lights up her face. “Now, tell me: who did you bet on?”

“Excuse me?” Her assistant tries to play innocent, but Ruki catches the way her eyes widen in fear.

“I know about the betting pool, Hana. Honestly, you’d think the people working for a covert agency would be better at hiding this kind of stuff. Now, who did you bet on?”

Hana is silent for a long while. “Lee Jenrya, ma’am.” She mumbles, avoiding Ruki’s eyes. The girl panics when Ruki laughs. “I’m sorry, ma’am! I know it’s none of our business and it’s highly inappro-”

“It’s alright, Hana,” Ruki smiles. “I’ve just realized you’re not as clueless as I thought.”

“Oh.” Hana says, breathing hard to regain the air she’d lost during her panicked rambling. “Oh.” Her eyes widen. “You mean-”

Ruki nods. “I hope you placed a big bet.”

“It was… quite an amount. Only a little, at first, but then I noticed that the both of you took a week off at the same time and you’d been wearing a ring around, so I bet more money.”

“Not as clueless as I thought,” Ruki says again. “Alright, then. You can tell everyone the bet is over and go collect your winnings; consider it an early Christmas bonus.” She smiles, ready to leave. “Try to keep everyone in line while I’m gone, please.”

The whispers have started by the time she hits the button for a lift, and right before Ruki steps in, she hears a girl squeal in excitement.

“Holy crap, I won! I’m rich!”

She laughs to herself in the lift, glad she’s alone. The mirth hasn’t quite left her eyes by the time she reaches Jen’s floor, and Janyu picks up on her amusement when she runs into him.

“What’s got you so entertained?” Her father-in-law asks, taking the recycle bag from her although she insists it’s not that heavy.

“My department ran a betting pool on the baby’s father,” Ruki shares, laughing again at the thought of it. “I didn’t know this but apparently it was quite big, because I told my assistant that Jen’s the father and right before I left, a girl announced she’s now rich because she won the bet.”

Janyu bursts out into laughter. “You know, I could have joined in on that if you’d told me.”

“I don’t think they’d have let you,” Ruki says as they turn into Jen’s corner. “You have the unfair advantage of being an insider.”

“True, I suppose,” Janyu shrugs.

“Hello, son.” He says to Jen. “I’ve brought you a visitor.”

“Is everything alright?” Jen asks as soon as he sees Ruki, getting up to his feet.

“I’m fine,” She tells him, pulling a chair up to his desk. “Yamaki banished me from my office so I’m just going to hang out with you until the day is over.”

“Banished?” Janyu echoes with a note of concern.

“Not in a bad way,” Ruki says quickly, realizing her words might have been cause for concern. “He just realized I might give birth in this building if I keep working so he put me on maternity leave, effective immediately.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Janyu smiles. “Not to offend you, Ruki, but you do look like it’s time for you to stay home and wait things out.”

“And don’t I know it,” Ruki mutters, resting a hand on her stomach. “But I think she’s pretty set on staying in there as long as she can.”

“Smart girl,” Janyu quips. “The world is not a place you should be eager to see, little one.” He says to Ruki’s stomach. “Alright then,” With a clap to Jen’s shoulder, he turns to leave. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’ll see you around, Ruki.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go home first, get some rest?” Jen asks as she pulls her chair next to his.

“Not tired. Besides, I’m going to spend enough time there as it is,” Ruki says, getting comfortable in her chair. She picks up the recycle bag Janyu had left on the floor and finds a book to read. “Let me just stay here a while longer.”

“Okay,” Jen shrugs, turning back to his computer. After a while, Ruki leans in to rest her head on his shoulder and he pauses to kiss her temple.

“Where’s Terriermon?” She asks, setting the book down in her lap.

“Break room, as usual.” They share a quiet laugh.

Ruki doesn’t say much else after that, leaving him to his work. Slowly, the constant clicking of the keyboard lulls her to sleep. Jen smiles when he notices she’s fallen asleep, and stops his typing to drape Ruki’s jacket over her shoulders.

“Stubborn woman,” He mutters fondly, getting back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, two chapters and an epilogue to go!
> 
> Even after fifteen chapters (including both the prologue and the epilogue), I won't be quite ready to let go of this little AU just yet. I’m planning to do a series of outtakes and I’m taking prompts! Let me know what you’d like to see – stuff that happened before the start of this series, events that may have taken place during this story or even things that might happen after the end. Leave as many requests as you want and I’ll try to write as many as I can. Ready, set, prompt!
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving and if you’re braving the Black Friday crowds, stay safe!


	13. Twelve

**TWELVE**

* * *

Two things draw Ruki back into the real world after a mere three hours of sleep.

Some part of her slowly-waking mind dimly registers a shrill ringing, but most of her attention is focused on the sound of fabric brushing against fabric as Jen, still asleep, instinctively pulls a blanket up to cover both of them as the midnight air drops in temperature. Ruki considers turning over to curl into him but even on a cold November night, the idea of Jen’s body heat isn’t very tempting. Pregnancy has left her feeling feverish and sweaty even when logic tells her she should be shivering.

After a few seconds of trying to get back to sleep, Ruki’s mind finally breaks through a heavy fog of sleepiness and reminds her of the phone call. She gathers up just enough energy to give herself a push, landing close enough to the nightstand to reach blindly for her phone. The phone must be face-down, because there’s no glowing screen to guide her. It’s a dark night, heavy clouds hiding even the slightest glimmer of moonlight, and it takes a few tries before her fingers wrap around the offending object.

“Is the world ending?” She yawns, forgetting to check the caller ID.

_“How did you know?”_

Her eyes snap wide open. “Yamaki?” Beside her, Jen stirs as she slowly pulls herself up to lean against the headboard. “What’s wrong?”

_“I’m actually calling for Jenrya,”_ Yamaki says, avoiding her question. _“He wasn’t picking up. Could you get him on the phone, please?”_

Ruki casts a look at her husband, who’s somehow managed to fall back asleep. “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

_“I don’t have the time for this,”_ Her boss huffs in aggravation.

“So make it quick.” Ruki persists. If something’s going on, something bad enough to make Yamaki call them at one in the morning, there’s no way she’s letting him keep her in the dark just because she’s officially off duty. “I’m pretty sure I can keep up.”

_“You are impossible.”_ Yamaki mutters before giving in. “ _We found him, the man responsible for the Digimon invasions. He was hiding somewhere in Alaska, but I had Ryo’s team track him down and they’ve got him… immobilized, for now. He’s not making much sense though, so if your burning curiosity has been satisfied, I’d like to get Jen on the phone and talk him into coming over to play translator.”_

Alaska. They’ve found the man responsible for building an army and they want to fly Jen out to the middle of nowhere to talk to him while hundreds of Digimon roam free, doing who knows what. It could be a trap. It has to be a trap.

There’s no way she’s letting him go on his own.

“Send me the coordinates,” Ruki orders, leaving no room for negotiation. “We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

_“Are you out of your bloody mind?”_ Yamaki raises his voice. “ _There is no way I’m letting you tag along.”_

“And why is that?” She retorts calmly, knowing how this will play out.

_“Why?”_ Her boss echoes with a voice that’s slowly descending into hysteria. _“Do you know how dangerous this could be? This man single-handedly built an entire Digimon army, an army we haven’t dealt with. They could be waiting on his orders. This entire thing could be a trap, and you expect me to let you walk into it?”_

“And _you_ expect me to let my husband walk into it alone?”

Her lips curve up into a triumphant smirk as nothing but silence meets her ears. There’s nothing left for Yamaki to say; his little rant just made Ruki’s point for her, and all she had to do was drop a carefully-worded question.

_“Ruki, you can’t possibly-”_

“Send me the coordinates,” She demands again, in a firm voice. Jen turns on his side to face her; he looks like he might wake up any moment now. Ruki wraps things up before he can get involved; it’ll be much easier to get her way if she doesn’t give him the chance to side against her with Yamaki.

“Look, I’m going.” Her voice drops into something softer, knowing that her boss is just looking out for her. “I can take care of myself, okay? Besides, if anything happens, Renamon can just _poof_ me away.”

_“Oh, no_ ,” Yamaki speaks up, and she prepares herself for another round of debating. Thankfully, he’s given up on talking her out of this and is merely hammering out the details. “ _If you’re going, take the jet. Please.”_

“Come on,” Ruki frowns. “That makes no sense. How many hours will it take to get there?”

_“It’ll be a direct flight, six hours or so. Look, it’s the only safe way.”_ Yamaki explains in a rush, trying to win this half of the argument. _“This guy has a force field set up, some sort of signal jammer. There’s no telling where you guys would land if Renamon tries to travel here.”_

“A force field?” She echoes dubiously. As far as she knows, there is no force field in this world or any other that can keep Renamon out. “If there’s a signal jammer, how come you were able to call me?”

_“It’s…”_ He struggles to find a way to explain it to Ruki. _“Think of the force field as a huge bubble, okay? And everything within that bubble is disrupted and jammed, which is how he was able to hide from us. But there’s… well, let’s just go with bubble. There’s another bubble in the very center of this one, a smaller one. And everything inside_ this _bubble works just fine, way better than it should in the Alaskan wilderness.”_

It sounds a bit far-fetched to her but if this is all Yamaki’s asking for, she’ll gladly sit on a plane for six hours to make sure she gets to go with Jen… who’s just woken up.

“Okay, we’ll fly.” Ruki decides quickly, ending the conversation. “I’ll see you soon.”

_“I’ll have them get the jet ready; shouldn’t take longer than two hours.”_ Yamaki informs her. _“Just get to the office as soon as possible.”_

The call ends just in time.

“What’s going on?” Jen mumbles, finally opening his eyes. “And what time is it?”

“Hey,” Ruki turns to him as she frees herself from a tangle of blankets and sets her feet on the ground. “We need to get up and pack; Hypnos is flying us out to Alaska in two hours.”

She hurries into the bathroom then and locks the door behind her just as Jen realizes what’s going on. “Ruki!” He pounds on the door as she rushes through the motions of brushing her teeth and washing her face. “Ruki, what’s in Alaska?” She throws her hair up in a ponytail and flings the door open, quickly brushing past him and turning the lights on as she goes.

“They found the Digimon army guy,” Ruki replies as she rummages through their closet and pulls out clothes to last them for a day. She tries to reach for the carry-on luggage stashed on the highest shelf, but Jen gets to it before her.

“What do you mean,” He demands, ignoring Ruki’s attempts to get the bag from him, “ _we_ need to pack?”

“Jen,” Ruki sighs, finally snatching the luggage from him. She turns away and throws it onto their bed, zipping it open. “Can we please not do this? I’ve already spoken to Yamaki and he’s given in, so-”

He grabs his phone as soon as Ruki brings up their boss and makes a call.

“What are you doing?” She cuts herself off mid-sentence.

“Calling Yamaki,” Jen says, challenging her with his eyes. “I’m obviously not going to talk you out of this so I’m going to talk _him_ out of it, and I’ll get him to make you stay here.”

Ruki grabs his arm when he passes her. “Jen, don’t. I can’t just let you go alo-”

Yamaki picks up then, and Jen pulls himself away from her and walks out of their room. “What in the world,” She hears him demand as his voice fades away, his infamous composure slipping into anger, “possessed you to authorize my very, very pregnant wife for a mission?”

Sitting down on the bed, Ruki starts throwing unfolded articles of clothing into the bag with a bit more force than necessary. At the thought of how Jen had just brushed her off and turned to Yamaki as if their boss could stop her from doing something her own husband couldn’t talk her out of, she balls up a top in her fist and flings it at the door. Renamon catches it automatically as she and Terriermon enter the room.

“Oh, so _both_ of them are pissed.” The rabbit seems to be talking to his companion, referring to Jen’s temperament when they’d crossed paths with him just moments ago. Renamon ignores the smaller Digimon and focuses her attention on Ruki.

“I understand why he is behaving this way.” The fox says simply, making it quite clear whose side she’s on.

“Come on,” Ruki mutters. “Of all the people, I thought you’d understand.” Her partner says nothing, prompting her to go on. “I can’t let him go alone, you know that. And let’s not pretend you’d just sit here with me and stay out of this battle. So then it would be the three of you in Alaska while I sit here and worry myself sick. Do you really think that’s a better alternative?”

Renamon comes to sit next to her Tamer. “I think that would be a _safer_ alternative.” She says carefully, trying to reason with Ruki.

“You know I don’t play things safe,” Ruki mumbles as Terriermon hops up, settling in on her right side so that she’s sandwiched between two Digimon.

“But what if you have the baby while we’re there?” The rabbit asks, innocent eyes wide open with curiosity and genuine concern.

“It doesn’t work like that, Terriermon,” Ruki explains, a fond smile tugging at her lips. It’s easy to forget how childlike Terriermon can be sometimes. “I’d go into labor first, and then we’d have at least a few hours until I’m ready to have the baby. That’s plenty of time for Renamon to get me to the hospital.”

“That is not a concern,” Renamon confirms. “But your safety, as well as the child’s – that is what has us all worried.”

Ruki grits her teeth. “I can take care of myself, okay? I’ve always-”

“Be reasonable, Ruki.” Her partner cuts in sharply. “You are nearly nine months pregnant. The baby weighs you down, slows your reflexes. If anything should aim for you, there is no way for you to simply dive out of harm’s way. If something were to just shove you to the ground, what would happen?”

The fox sets a hand on Ruki’s shoulder. “I know,” She says more gently, “that you have always been able to take care of yourself. And perhaps that remains the case. But you cannot protect yourself _and_ your daughter, not in this situation.”

She shrugs Renamon’s hand off, even though it pains her to be so rude to her partner, who only wants the best for her. “I am getting on that plane,” Ruki declares firmly, standing up. She starts pulling clothes out of the luggage and folds them neatly before returning them to the bag.

Renamon sighs; she has said all there is to be said.

“Um, Ruki?” Terriermon pipes up. “I don’t know much about having a baby and all that but… I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to get on a plane when you’re this close to having a kid.”

“How do you even know that?”

He shrugs. “TV show.”

Ruki waves his concerns off. “It’s totally fine. The airline people just don’t want you giving birth on board.”

Terriermon isn’t convinced. “I really don’t think that’s-”

“Look,” Ruki huffs. “The baby will be fine, okay? Now can you please go and talk to Jen or something? We don’t have time for him to throw a tantrum.”

“O-” The rabbit stutters, taken aback by her sharp words. “Okay.” He ambles out of the room, ears dragging behind him on the ground, lowered in dejection. Ruki can feel her partner’s disapproval, but Renamon says nothing.

Dropping the last article of clothing into the half-full bag, she reaches for her phone and dials Kent’s number. It’s one-thirty in the morning, but this qualifies as an emergency… of sorts.

“I need the results.”

_“Wha- who is this?”_ The voice on the other line slurs, yawning at the end.

“It’s Ruki. Do you have the results or not?”

Her name is seemingly enough to snap the boy awake. _“Ruki!”_ Kent exclaims. _“I, uh, yes. I was actually going to call you tomorrow.”_

“Well, it’s technically tomorrow.” Ruki snaps impatiently. So her little… disagreement with Jen has left her in a somewhat-bad mood; she’ll just blame it on sleep deprivation.

_“Yes, I suppose, technically.”_ The former intern babbles nervously. _“Okay, so I ran a ton of simulations based on all records of your visits to the Digital World, and they all turned out positive. I also pulled some of Jen’s research into Renamon’s shadow world, and I think there’s enough in there to let me assure you that your… well, a child would be perfectly safe if the mother were to travel to the Digital World.”_

“What?” She asks, well aware of Renamon’s focus on her conversation. “How is the shadow world related to this?” The fox tries to hide her reaction to the mention of her world but Ruki can see curiosity branded across her features.

_“It’s amazing, actually. When you really get down to it, both worlds are remarkably similar. And you’ve been traveling through that world throughout your pregnancy, right? With no side effects?”_

Kent’s dropped the pretense that it isn’t Ruki and her child they’re talking about, and she can’t be bothered by it. “Yes. So what does that mean?”

_“Just keep in mind that I can’t say anything for sure, okay? But based on that, and the simulations I ran, there’s a very high chance that your baby will be perfectly fine.”_

“Ninety-seven percent?” Ruki brings up the number he’d tossed out.

_“Actually,”_ Kent says, sounding quite pleased with himself. _“Make that ninety-nine.”_

“And that one percent?” She asks warily.

_“Only there because I don’t want to sound like an over-confident ass.”_

Ruki laughs, hiding the bubble of relief that’s swelling in her throat and threatens to choke her. “Thank you, Kent.”

_“Hey, no problem. Anytim-”_

She hangs up then, ending the conversation before he can start babbling away. Kent’s a nice boy but it’s easy to see why he and chatty Terriermon get along so well.

“You think we will have to travel to the Digital World.” Renamon’s voice nearly makes her jump. Distracted by the relief Kent’s findings had brought her, Ruki had completely forgotten that her partner is still in the room.

“It’s better to know these things in advance – isn’t that what you said?”

Renamon stares at her and for the first time in years, it actually unsettles her. She avoids her partner’s eyes and focuses on the luggage instead, compiling a mental list of things they’ll need.

“Indeed.” Renamon finally says, and it’s as close a tone to _displeased_ as she’s ever heard the fox use. She exits the room then, leaving her Tamer alone for several minutes until Jen returns. Ruki’s tossed more things on the bed now – some toiletries, cables and wires, electronic gadgets. He comes to stand next to her and they pack in silence.

A few minutes later, Jen zips up the bag. She figures it’s time to say something.

“So,” Ruki says, avoiding his eyes. “How’d it go with Yamaki?”

Jen sighs and deliberately plants himself within her line of vision, waiting for her to look at him. He greets her with a wry smile, trying to hide the fatigue in his eyes. “Well, I found out that Yamaki’s more scared of going against you than he is of going against me, just like everyone else. Should I be worried about that, by the way? That you’re apparently the more terrifying one in this relationship?”

There’s nothing he can do to stop her now, so Jen’s trying to distract himself. Ruki plays along because it was never her intention to make him look so tired, sound so resigned to their imaginary doom. Why does everyone think this can only end badly; why are they so convinced that it will?

“The time to be worried about that was ten years ago,” She says with a teasing smile and a forced lightness in her voice. “Besides, I’ll make you a deal – you can be the more terrifying parent, in our daughter’s eyes.”

“You and I have made a lot of deals,” Jen says quietly, all teasing set aside. “Are you actually going to honor this one?”

Ruki loses her smile then, and a heavy silence hangs between them. “Jen,” She sighs, hating how helpless she sounds. There isn’t anything she can say to make him feel better about this, to convince him that everything will be alright. Instead, she reaches out to hug him, even if it’s a little difficult with the baby in the way and they end up with her side pressed against his front.

“You told me you would sit this one out.”

“I said I’d stay back if we had to hunt this guy and smoke him out,” Ruki amends, sticking to the exact words she’d used last week. “They’ve already got him. Yamaki said he’s _immobilized,_ and I’m pretty sure that’s a lot worse for him than it sounds. All we have to do is figure out his failed plan and wrap things up.”

She pulls away, just enough to reach up and frame the left side of his face with one palm. Jen has no choice but to look at her. “Everything will be okay, you’ll see.” Ruki says comfortingly, a shaky smile on her lips. “I know you don’t believe that but we’ll be fine, I promise.”

“You promise.” Jen echoes almost bitterly, and it’s sharp enough to make her drop her hand and step away from him. “I have a promise to keep too, Ruki. It’s the one _you_ made me agree to.”

“Jen, that’s not what I-”

“No, this is what you meant. Because if I let you go and something happens, you know I’ll never forgive myself. That’s what you didn’t want. I’m supposed to talk you out of these things,” He reminds her in a softer voice, and Ruki hates how hopeless he looks when his hands encircle both of her wrists and hold them together. “I’m supposed to _protect_ you and our daughter.” It’s one last shot at an argument Jen knows he’s lost.

“And you will,” Ruki assures him, a sincere sentiment on her part. She knows he’ll be looking out for her, and she’ll look out for him in return. “We’ll all protect each other, like always.”

He sighs in defeat. “Like always,” Jen agrees; a white flag in their short-lived war.

She smiles, but there is no hint of smugness or triumph. This wasn’t an argument to be won by her manipulations; it was simply a conversation that needed to happen. And now that it’s over, they can move on with their tight schedule.

“Okay,” Ruki says, freeing herself of his hold on her wrists. “I think we have enough packed for now, but you should go through your things and-”

Jen cuts her off mid-sentence, pulling her in for a fierce kiss. It’s reminiscent of how they used to kiss when they fought, when he was convinced she’d walk out on their relationship. He kisses her now the way he did then, all those times he thought he was going lose her.

“Please,” He whispers, leaning in so close that his forehead is against hers and she can barely make out anything in his eyes. “Please, just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I thought my promises mean nothing.” Ruki says with no malice to her words, adopting the same hushed whisper he’s speaking in.

“Only when you promise me things you shouldn’t,” Jen tells her. “But this one, I know you can keep this promise. Please, Ruki.”

Her arms reach up to wrap around his neck, but they’re reminded of the child they’re so worried about when she stands in the way of their usual embrace. Ruki moves so that her head rests on his shoulder, her face hidden against his neck.

“I promise,” She tells Jen, and he sighs in relief. An arm wraps around her middle, holding her in place for just a while longer. As soon as she steps away, time rushes by and everything is a blur of last-minute packing, driving to Hypnos, skipping as many pre-boarding procedures as they can.

Ruki sleeps throughout the six-hour flight but some part of her mind dimly registers two things. One, Jen held her hand the entire time. Two, he didn’t get a wink of sleep.

No matter what promises he may have extracted from her, Jen is still bracing himself for the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short one, just to set things up for the finale. That’ll be in three days, and we’ll have the epilogue three days after that so stick around, lovelies! On another note, I’m still taking prompts for the series of outtakes I’m planning (because I barely got any) so be sure to write in and send me lots of suggestions. You can learn more about the outtakes in last chapter’s note. 
> 
> It’s been one hell of a ride, but I’m saving my grateful babbling for the epilogue. In the meantime, just know that I’m really glad people are reading this, even if it’s just a handful of you guys. Thank you!


	14. Thirteen

**THIRTEEN**

* * *

By the time Ruki gets off the plane, Jen’s already being briefed by their boss. Yamaki greets her with a smile and a nod as she approaches, wincing as she stretches her muscles. A sharp pain hits her, but it’s probably just the baby kicking.

“Look who made it after all.”

“You were hoping I’d go into labor before the plane left, weren’t you?” Ruki accuses jokingly.

Yamaki shrugs. “I had my fingers crossed, but you - and that kid of yours - are obviously following no one’s schedule but your own. Now,” He turns to Jen. “I’ll leave you guys to discuss this. You know where to find me when you’ve figured it out.” And with that, he walks off.

“What’s going on?” Ruki asks as Jen sets their bag down on the ground. Terriermon decides to sit down and lean against it.

“Yamaki wants me to go talk to James – that’s the guy, no last name yet. He’ll be with me but everyone else should be with Reika, in the control room.”

“Let me guess,” She says flatly. “ _Everyone else_ is me.”

Jen sighs heavily. “Yeah, there’s a battle lost before it’s even fought.”

The resignation in his voice, the way he doesn’t even try to talk her out of it, stirs something within Ruki. She doesn’t regret coming here, would make the same decision all over again even if it meant fighting Jen and Yamaki, but… now that’s it’s no longer one in the morning and she’s had some time to sleep on it, Ruki wonders if maybe she’s pushed things too far. There’s nothing she can do about that now but she could give in, just this once.

“Maybe I…” She turns to Renamon, trailing off as she’s reminded of her partner. Part of the reason why Ruki’s here is because she doesn’t want Renamon to be on her own.

“I will stay with you,” The fox suggests, even though it pains her to back down from a possible battle. But her priority now is to make sure her Tamer is safe. If anything happens, she can always travel to Jen’s side and leave Ruki stranded far away from the battle. “While Jen and Terriermon go with Yamaki.”

There’s a short period of silence while Ruki considers her options and weighs what she wants against what she should do, but it’s enough for the slightest bit of hope to glimmer in Jen’s eyes. That glimmer makes up her mind.

“No,” She announces, feeling the burn of everyone’s eyes on her. Jen hides his disappointment, Terriermon goes back to staring off into the distance and Renamon looks like she might try to contest the decision she thinks Ruki has made.

Ruki smiles, hoping that it looks more encouraging than it feels. “No, you go ahead with Jen and Terriermon. I’ll just,” She pauses when Jen lifts his eyes from the ground to look at her, “I’ll just go work with Reika.” To downplay this recent turn of events, to cover up the fact that it’s a decision fueled by her guilt, she quickly adds: “I’m sure she could use my help.”

Thankfully, Renamon is on the same page. “Yes,” The fox says evenly as Jen continues to look at her with something akin to disbelief. “That would probably be for the best.”

“Okay,” Ruki nods, surveying their surroundings. She spots a cabin maybe twenty-five, thirty feet ahead. To the left of the cabin, but only fifteen or so feet away, stands a hastily set up collection of tents. That’s probably where she’ll find Reika. “So, I’ll just go that way-”

“I’ll walk you,” Jen offers, picking up their bag. With no heavy luggage to lean against, a suddenly disorientated Terriermon falls to the ground before quickly jumping up to his feet, grumbling about the cold.

Renamon points out the cabin. “We will go ahead and join Yamaki,” She says, picking Terriermon up. The smaller Digimon quickly wraps one ear around Renamon’s arm, choosing to hitch a ride rather than walk on his own.

“Come on,” Jen tells her, slipping his free hand into Ruki’s. “Let’s get you out of this cold.”

“Jen,” She speaks up when they’re almost there, but finds she has no words to say when he turns to look at her. There’s no point in apologizing if she doesn’t regret anything, and he knows her well enough to know she’d make the same choice all over again. Anything else she says would probably just lead to a disagreement, which is the last thing she wants right now.

“What is it, Ruki?” They’ve reached the first tent, and up close it’s easy to see that this is no ordinary camping tent. It almost looks bigger than Ruki’s office. Jen stops by the entrance, waiting for her to say something.

“Just,” Ruki says hesitantly. “Just be careful, okay?”

He smiles. “As long as you’re safe here with Reika, I’ll be a hundred percent focused on what’s going on with this James guy, I promise.”

Reika appears before she can think of something to say.

“I thought it might be you guys,” The older woman smiles warmly. “Come on in, it’s freezing outside.”

“I’m just dropping Ruki off,” Jen tells her. He moves forward and leans into the tent to stash their bag by the side of the entrance. “Yamaki’s waiting for me.”

“Oh, right.” Reika nods. “Good luck figuring this guy out. He says he’ll only speak to a Tamer and no one else.”

“Let’s hope he’s not a fan,” Jen jokes. He drops a kiss on Ruki’s temple and turns around without another word, leaving the two women alone. Ruki’s eyes track his movement as she fights the urge to go against her word and run after him. This man specifically set things up so that a Tamer would have to fly out and talk to him; why isn’t anyone more concerned by this?

“If you’re done staring at your husband’s behind,” Reika grins. “We should really get you inside now. I’ve got space heaters and hot chocolate.”

She ignores her friend’s teasing. “The Digimon army,” Ruki turns to Reika once Jen is safely within the cabin. “Can they attack here?”

The older woman shakes her head and pulls Ruki in. “Jen’s safe. This guy… I think he’s terrified of his own creations. He built this entire force field and reinforced it to make sure none of them can get in.”

“What do you mean?” Ruki lets herself be forced into a chair, observing the bank of monitors in front of her. Reika thrusts a warm mug into her hands before sitting down as well, tapping away at her keyboard until she’s brought up an entirely different set of images. Four monitors show different angles of Jen, Yamaki, Terriermon and Renamon standing by a closed door. Eight more screens depict a living room, with the man Ruki assumes is their suspect handcuffed to a pillar near the fireplace. A chair has been dragged over for him to sit in.

“Look, think about it: we’ve been chasing this guy for how many months now?” Reika explains. “All of a sudden, we get a hit on him, we get his exact location and when we fly out, he’s just sitting here, waiting to be taken into custody. He obviously meant for us to find him, and I think it’s because he needs help.”

They watch as Yamaki opens the door and Jen follows him in, leaving the Digimon to wait outside. Reika keys in a few commands so that eleven screens show the living room, and she sets up an audio connection. The twelfth screen remains focused on Renamon and Terriermon.

Ruki successfully fights against a shiver that threatens to travel down her spine. The idea of an army so terrifying, even their creator would turn against them and abandon his plans in favor of seeking help… it doesn’t sit well with her. And if it turns out to be true, then it’s up to them to clean up the mess.

“Reika,” She speaks up quietly, trying to keep an ear trained on the questioning. Yamaki is just setting down some conditions though, questions that James will have to answer now that they’ve agreed to his demands. He speaks in a low voice, but Ruki strains her ears and picks up unfamiliar words. She understands them, but it’s a second language to her. The suspect himself seems distracted, his eyes flitting between Yamaki and Jen. “Where is the army now?”

“I have no idea,” Reika says, getting ready to launch into her theory. But she decides to keep quiet when Jen starts talking to their suspect. The entire conversation is going to be in English, it seems, and Ruki hopes hers isn’t as rusty as she thinks it is. At least the past few years of meetings with various foreign organizations have allowed her and Jen to pick up the language with relative ease.

_“Hello, James_.”

_“It’s you_ ,” The man – boy, actually; he looks just a bit younger than Jen – says in awe, watching as Jen takes a seat in an armchair opposite the fireplace. _“It’s really you. Where’s Terriermon?”_

_“Nearby,”_ Jen says vaguely, looking the slightest bit uncomfortable. Ruki’s glad Yamaki is there, hidden away in a corner of the room. At least Jen isn’t alone with this guy. _“Look, James, I need to ask you some questions, okay?”_

_“Oh, right,”_ James nods. _“About the Digimon knock-offs I made.”_

Ruki scoffs; that sounds like a proper term for the opponents they’ve faced so far. Now that they know those weren’t real Digimon, their slow reflexes and sluggish movements make more sense.

_“Why would you call them that?”_

_“Well, they are.”_ The boy sounds petulant. “ _I mean, I tried my best but you’ve seen them. They can’t even speak, or think for themselves. It’s like I built the most basic form of Digimon, but stripped them of the intelligence the originals had.”_

Jen treads carefully. _“Why make them in the first place?”_

_“You’re going to laugh.”_ James mutters.

_“I won’t.”_

“Kid, you’ve built an army of hundreds,” Ruki’s words are lost on the suspect, who can’t hear her anyway. “Trust me: no one’s going to laugh at you.”

_“I wanted to have a Digimon partner, just like you guys.”_ He grudgingly admits. _“And I thought if I made more, then every kid could be a Tamer.”_

“Come _on_ ,” Ruki says. “This kid’s not even a villain; he’s just a super fan with a dangerously smart brain.”

“Hush,” Reika tells her but even she looks relieved that they’re not dealing with an army-wielding megalomaniac who dreams of taking over the world.

_“Well, James,”_ Jen says slowly, seemingly at a loss for words. _“I’m sorry but that’s not how it works. In fact, we don’t_ know _how it works or who picks the Tamers.”_

“ _I know that_ now _,”_ The boy sighs in disappointment. _“Besides, it didn’t exactly work out the way I planned.”_

Jen re-evaluates the situation based on this newly-gained information. _“So I’m guessing you didn’t send those Digimon to fight us?”_

_“I would never!”_ James insists. _“I swear!”_

_“Calm down,””_ Jen says, shooting the boy a wary look. Evil mastermind or not, this guy is still a suspect with control over a Digimon army. _“I believe you._ ”

_“Good, because I need your help. I’ve lost all control of them.”_

On a long list of things Ruki was hoping not to hear, this is somewhere in the top five. Beside her, Reika sinks into her chair. “Oh, boy,” She mutters.

“And guess who’s going to have to round up the rogue soldiers?” Ruki shoots back.

Reika turns to her with an alarmed look. “Wait, you’re not going to- Ruki, I don’t care what this guy says, you can’t possibly think of joining this fight.”

“Who said anything about a fight?” Ruki huffs in irritation; great, now Reika’s joined the _let’s all tell the pregnant lady what she can’t do_ club.

“You can’t seriously believe this will end in anything other than a fight.”

_“No, hear me out. You won’t even have to fight!”_ James says, his pleading voice piping out of the speakers. Ruki and Reika had completely tuned out of the interrogation during their little conversation.

“Wait, what?” Reika questions, turning her focus back to the screen.

_“All you need to do is get to the program, and delete it. I’ve even got a-”_ James fumbles around in his back pocket with his free hand and produces a flash drive. _“A virus. I just need someone to get this to the main computer and plug it in, so that it’ll corrupt my program and get rid of them all._ ”

He holds the flash drive out to Jen, who hesitates for a short moment before he reaches out and takes it. _“So why don’t you just do it yourself?”_ Jen asks as Yamaki steps out of the shadows. He hands the drive to their boss. _“Have someone check this out.”_

Ruki watches with a sinking feeling in her gut as Yamaki walks out of the room, leaving Jen alone with their suspect. Her only consolation is that Renamon and Terriermon are still standing guard by the door.

_“See, that’s the thing.”_ James explains with a nervous laugh. _“The program was never with me. I wrote a code so that it would Realize in the Digital World, and well, I can’t exactly just take a plane there.”_

“Oh, crap.” Reika sighs, turning to Ruki with a knowing look. “You’re going, aren’t you?”

“Shush,” Ruki hisses, trying to focus on the conversation. She’s avoiding the question as well.

After a few moments of muttering to himself, Jen starts drilling the boy. _“So what’s your plan? Where do I need to plug this in? And where’s your army?”_

_“I wouldn’t call them an army.”_ James says, presumably trying to defend himself. Things will be so much worse if he’s accused of building an army.

_“Where,”_ Jen says quietly, trying to maintain his composure, _“are they?”_

“In the Digital World,” Ruki realizes out loud just seconds before James confirms her suspicion. Reika turns to her.

“How did you-”

“The program was never with him,” Ruki repeats what James had said. “He sent the codes there, and that’s where they Realized. It makes more sense; there’s no way he would have been able to create Digimon in our world. Even we can’t do that. Only Digimon who’ve grown strong in their world can survive the trip here.”

“And that’s why those Wild Ones kept showing up?” Reika asks, trying to match Ruki’s theory to their past run-ins with James’ creations. “Because they’d grown strong enough to cross over?”

“I mean, it makes sense.” Ruki shrugs. “As far as Renamon can tell, that’s why she Realized here. She needed a Tamer to partner with before she could cross over but the Wild Ones we fought in the past, they could appear on their own, sometimes without even making a conscious decision to Realize. As soon as they grew strong enough, their data broke through the barrier and they landed here.”

Reika nods. “That does make sense. But what do we do now?”

Ruki points to the screen, indicating that they should turn their attention back to Jen and the boy, who’s currently explaining his plan.

_“As far as I can tell, my Digimon are mostly in the desert. The program is housed higher up, on a different level. I don’t know where exactly but according to the data I translated, it’s… some sort of house, I think. There were computers there even before I started sending my code; that’s why the program chose that location.”_

_“Shibumi’s mansion,”_ Jen mutters to himself, but it’s loud enough for all of them to hear.

“That’s quite likely.” Yamaki says, causing both Ruki and Reika to jump.

“When did you get here?” Ruki asks with a glare, rubbing soothing circles over her stomach. The baby fell asleep a while ago and she’d rather things remain that way. Once again, something hits her out of nowhere, a pain that leaves her feeling winded. It’s just that once though, and she writes it off as her daughter’s reaction to her own panic. Thankfully, the baby seems to have developed a bit of Jen’s personality recently and is now a heavy sleeper just like her father, so all is quiet once more after that sharp kick.

Yamaki has the grace to look sorry. “I just walked in. Did I wake the kid?”

“You’re in luck,” She tells Yamaki, shaking her head. When it becomes apparent that the baby has no intention of waking up, Ruki drops her hand back to her side. “I think it’s so cramped in there that she’s given up on doing anything, so now she’s just sleeping to pass the time.”

“Right,” Yamaki nods distractedly, pulling a chair up to the monitors. He plugs the flash drive in and commandeers four screens for his own use, running various tests on them. Reika quickly re-adjusts the eight remaining screens so that six of them are focused on the living room while Renamon and Terriermon appear in the bottom two.

The women try to focus on Jen’s conversation but thanks to the distraction provided by Yamaki’s arrival, they’ve missed most of the plan and can only watch in confusion as Jen wraps things up. Two Hypnos agents appear in the same screens as Renamon and Terriermon, ready to take charge of James.

_“Wait,”_ James calls after Jen as he walks away. _“Are there any other Tamers with you? I think I saw Ryo Akiyama earlier, but they say he's left.”_

"True," Yamaki comments. "He disappeared the second I told him his job here was done."

Jen considers his reply. He’s always been a good judge of character, but sometimes he relies too heavily on that instinct and puts too much faith in people based on his first impressions of them. The boy seems harmless but Ruki would rather her presence remain a well-kept secret between the few of them.

_“No,”_ He says after a beat, quickly covering up his pause. _“No, I’m on my own.”_

After that, Ruki tracks Jen’s progress through the room until he disappears from the six screens and re-appears in the other two a moment after, joining Renamon and Terriermon as the Hypnos agents enter the living room. As soon as they leave the hall, Reika taps out a few commands so that the top six screens are once more filled with reports and tests on the force field while the other two jump from camera to camera, following James’ journey out of the cabin all the way into what seems to be a helicopter.

“Where are they taking him?” She asks, turning to Reika. The older woman shrugs but Yamaki speaks up in her stead.

“Back to headquarters,” Her boss says, still focused on the flash drive. “Once this is all over, we’ll ask him more questions, get him to write down everything he did to cause this and then we’ll see what local law enforcement says. We’ll probably have to hand him back to one of our American partners, though. Hypnos doesn’t have the jurisdiction to charge a man or keep him locked up.”

“Just make sure he doesn’t mess with the Digital World ever again,” Ruki mutters as she considers stretching out her sore muscles. She’s just about to get out of her chair when Jen appears in the doorway, flanked by their partners.

“The flash drive works,” Yamaki informs him before Jen can say a word. “So now it’s up to you to get to Shibumi’s mansion and plug this thing in.”

Jen acknowledges their boss with a nod before he turns to her, eyes wary. “There’s no way I’m talking you out of this, is there?”

“Come on,” Reika says quietly, getting out of her chair to loop an arm around Yamaki’s and lead him away. “We’re just going to check on everything else and see about taking the force field down.” She tells the others, a poor excuse to give Jen and Ruki some privacy.

Renamon seems to be on the same page. “Terriermon and I will stand guard by the entrance.” She offers, tugging the reluctant rabbit along as he whines about the cold.

“Digimon don’t even feel the cold,” Renamon points out, effectively shutting him up.

“What a drama queen,” Ruki teases good-naturedly after they’ve left, to diffuse the tension between her and Jen. It doesn’t work.

“Ruki,” Jen chooses to occupy Reika’s vacant seat, prompting Ruki to lower herself back into her chair. “You know you don’t have to go.”

“I didn’t sit through a six-hour flight just to stay in this ice forest while you guys take out an army on your own,” Ruki argues stubbornly, crossing her arms.

“You _slept_ through a six-hour flight,” Jen reminds her with a tired smile, trying to avoid an argument. “Look, we’ll be fine. I’ll focus better knowing that you’re safe here. Besides,” By the look on his face, Ruki can tell he thinks this is his trump card. “Who knows what traveling to the Digital World would do to the baby?”

“She’ll be fine,” Ruki waves off his concerns. “I had someone in your department look into it… just in case.” She adds when Jen shoots her an unhappy look. “I thought it would be better to know, okay? And I was right.” Maybe that was unnecessary but Ruki just couldn’t resist throwing in that last sentence.

“Who?”

“Someone,” She says vaguely, trying to keep Kent’s name out of this. Jen isn’t the kind to scream at someone or sabotage them, maybe go to the higher-ups and get a person into trouble. The worse Kent would suffer through for being her accomplice is probably a very long talk, but a disappointed lecture from your hero seems like the kind of thing the boy would get upset about. “Look,” Ruki sighs. “Everything will be fine, okay? He even pulled some of your research on Renamon’s shadow world and if the baby’s been just fine traveling through that, then the Digital World should be a piece of cake. A walk in the park. A-”

It’s a good thing Jen stops her then, because she’s running out of clichéd things to use as reassurance. “Kent.”

“As easy as- wait, what?”

Jen sighs; it’s the perfect disappointed father sigh but she doesn’t see the need to tell him that right now. “Kent asked about the shadow world a few days ago. He helped you, didn’t he?”

Well, there’s no denying it now. Besides, she tried to keep the boy’s name out of it and that’s what counts, right?

“Yes,” Ruki confirms. “And I trust him.”

“I trust him too,” Jen admits almost grudgingly. He’s watched Kent go from eager and enthusiastic intern to exceptionally talented researcher, and if his co-worker says it’s safe for their baby to cross over to the Digital World, then Jen’s run out of ammunition against Ruki.

“Last try,” Jen smiles, falling back on humor to keep his mind from conjuring up worst-case scenarios. “If you stay here, you’ll be my favorite person for ever and ever.”

“Liar,” Ruki scoffs with a teasing smile of her own. “The minute this baby comes out, she’s bumping me down to the second-favorite spot.”

“You’re in entirely different categories. She’s my favorite flesh-and-blood and you’re my favorite-”

“If you say _lover_ ,” Ruki warns him. “I will throw up all over your shoes.”

He laughs. “I thought you got over the morning sickness six months ago.”

“It feels like it was barely six weeks ago though, doesn’t it?” She muses out loud, putting an end to their pointless banter.

“But at the same time, it also feels like it’s been six years.” Jen agrees, adding to the sentiment.

Ruki shudders at the thought. “Pregnant for six years,” She mutters, horrified by the prospect. “I don’t even want to imagine that.”

Before Jen can fling something witty back, Yamaki steps into the tent.

“Sorry to interrupt,” He announces. “But if you’re done here, we really must hurry. Reika’s detecting increasing levels of activity. If you guys don’t go to the army, they’ll come to us.”

Renamon and Terriermon join them, picking up on the urgency in Yamaki’s voice. “We can leave now.” The fox suggests. “Either we arrive in the desert, as usual-”

“Not the desert,” Jen tells her. “The entire army is there.”

“Or Shibumi’s mansion,” Renamon says, finishing her sentence. Jen shoots her an apologetic look for interrupting.

“I say we go straight to the mansion.” Ruki speaks up.

“Oh, no.” Jen shakes his head at her. “There’s nothing I can do to keep you from coming along but I’m keeping you far away from the action. If these guys have the same survival instinct that guides Digimon, then it’s likely that they’ll have some soldiers stationed in the mansion to protect the program.”

“Come on,” Ruki rolls her eyes. “You’ve seen these guys. They can barely figure out which direction to walk in, or shoot a fireball at. Do you really think they could have figured out their survival depends on the program? Even if they did, I don’t think they’d do anything about it, let alone take up the task of guarding the mansion.”

“You never know,” Jen shrugs, and it’s then that she sees through his act. He knows what Ruki’s just said is true, has known all along. This is all an act to keep her away from the mansion, and Ruki is actually impressed. It’s almost tricky, compared to Jen’s usual straightforward ways.

“What do you suggest, then?” She asks casually. It’s not her giving in, definitely not. She’s just impressed by Jen putting in an effort to trick her into staying somewhere safe, and she wants to see how far he’ll go with this.

“Well,” He beams, thinking he’s won already. “If it’s alright by Renamon, I’d like for us to arrive in the forest.” Jen turns to the fox, who nods.

“It can be arranged.”

“Good. So we’ll all arrive in the forest,” He walks Ruki through the plan. “Renamon will transport us to Shibumi’s mansion, and then she’ll go straight back to Ruki. You can check on us after fifteen minutes,” Jen tells Renamon. “We should be done by then, so we’ll all travel back to the forest, pick up Ruki and we’ll go home from there.”

It’s a good plan, Ruki grudgingly admits to herself. Out loud, she shrugs. “I’m guessing I don’t get a vote in this?”

“This matter is time-sensitive,” Yamaki speaks up, apparently done with his quiet observation. “So no, I’m not going to let you stand around and argue over this for another half an hour. I’m pulling the _I’m your big boss_ card,” He smirks, quoting Ruki from a week ago. She ignores the childish urge to stick her tongue out at her boss. “And I’m saying this is the plan. Whenever you’re ready.” He says to Jen.

“Well,” Jen sighs, getting up to his feet. He holds a hand out and turns to Yamaki while Ruki accepts his help. “The sooner we get there, the better.”

“You’re leaving now, then?”

“Looks like it,” Ruki mutters as Renamon places a hand on her shoulder and Terriermon climbs up his Tamer’s back. Jen’s hand is still securely wrapped around her own, linking all four of them.

“Here you go,” Yamaki pulls the flash drive out and hands it to Jen, who chooses to hold on to it. Things have a strange habit of disappearing once you stick them into your pockets.

“See you at home.” Jen smiles and with that, they’re ripped from the Real World.

It takes a moment to get their bearings but Jen quickly shakes off the disorientation that plagues them all. It’s been a long time since they last travelled to the Digital World, and his body is definitely feeling the effects of it. Ruki isn’t doing so well either, he presumes, because her eyes are wide and all signs of color have been drained from her face.

“Alright,” He says, sounding way more positive about this whole thing than he is. “Let’s get this going, then.” There isn’t any time to look around and survey the forest, which he knows is Ruki’s favorite part of this world. Taking advantage of the hand enclosed within his, he tugs at Ruki until she leans in, allowing him to press a quick kiss to her lips.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Jen promises, letting go of her hand.

“Don’t get lost,” Ruki says casually, biting back words like _be careful_ and _please hurry_ and _please, please don’t let anything bad happen_.

“Yeah, you take care of yourself too.” He smiles, picking up on the unvoiced sentiment hidden within her eyes.

Jen disappears right after that, taking their partners with him. Ruki finds a good, thick tree and slowly lowers herself to the ground, leaning against the ancient wood. She barely notices when Renamon returns.

“Your water broke.” Renamon states evenly, though it almost sounds like an accusation.

The carpet of dew-kissed grass hides all evidence and there are no visible stains on Ruki's black pants, so Renamon must have figured it out some other way. What Jen wrote off as disorientation, her partner recognized as panic.

“It happened the moment we arrived here.” The fox continues, trying to make a point.

“Just a change in atmosphere or something,” Ruki says dismissively, clutching her stomach. She wonders if the baby’s developed toenails, because her last few kicks have been way sharper than the usual. In fact, they don’t really feel like kicks. Still, she soldiers on. “It’s fine. All the books say your water breaks a day or two before you’re actually in labor, and it takes even longer for first-time moms. We’re okay.”

“Ruki,” Her partner sighs, stumped by how stubborn and oblivious her Tamer can be sometimes. “You’ve been having contractions all day.”

“What?”

“I have felt them through our telepathic connection, so there is no point in you trying to deny it. The pain matches the descriptions I’ve come across of contractions, and-”

“No, Renamon, you don’t understand.” Ruki tells her, the smallest tendril of panic curling around her heart. “I didn’t know those were contractions!”

Renamon stares at her in disbelief. “Surely you-”

“They’re like an hour apart so no, I didn’t actually realize what was going on!” Hysteria seeps into her voice. Ruki tries to keep calm, to remember the books Jen made her read. A paragraph saying you have twenty-hour hours until labor after your water breaks doesn’t hold much weight compared to the sudden realization that those kicks weren’t kicks after all, and she’s been having contractions since they boarded the flight to Alaska.

“Ruki,” Her partner tries again, starting to pace up and down. It’s the first time she’s ever seen Renamon do such a thing. “What _did_ you think those were?”

“I don’t know!” She raises her voice even as she tries to recall those stupid breathing techniques or whatever the books had talked about. “I thought the baby grew toenails and was stabbing me from the inside!”

Now that Ruki’s said it out loud, she can see why Renamon’s looking at her as if she’s suddenly grown three heads.

The fox keeps pacing as Ruki gives up on following the book and just settles for deep breaths. She doesn’t need a special breathing technique to get through labor, she just needs something to keep her calm as she deals with the fact that she might be in labor.

“I am nervous.” Renamon announces after a few moments of silence.

“Well said, Captain Obvious.” Her Tamer glares up at her.

Renamon forcibly stops herself from repeating her own journey up and down the same path of grass. “I am going to get Jen now,” She decides without consulting Ruki. “And we are going straight to your doctor.”

“What? No!” Ruki cries in protest, trying to get up to her feet. She draws herself up, only to lean against the tree for support. “Just give them a few more minutes, Renamon. Jen’s almost done, I’m sure.”

“You should have told him the minute your water broke,” Renamon’s words drip with disapproval.

“So that we could rush back to our world and Jen could deal with the invading army while I’m giving birth to our kid? No way.” A hand flies to her stomach, and Ruki finds it laughable that she ever mistook a contraction for a kick. Wait. It hasn’t been an hour since the last one, has it?

“Look,” She says to Renamon, ignoring the obvious concern written across the fox’s features. The Digimon’s noticed it too, then. Her contractions are getting closer. “You were there, you heard Yamaki. If we don’t deal with these guys now, they’ll cross over. And when that happens, Jen will be on the frontlines. I refuse to tell my daughter that her father missed her birth because he was busy fighting knock-off Digimon wannabes.”

All is quiet for two minutes, and Ruki sighs in relief, thinking that Renamon has accepted her reasoning.

“It’s been fifteen minutes,” The fox says suddenly. “I will go and retrieve them now; stay here.” With those words, she’s gone.

Ruki slides back down to the ground. “Where else would the pregnant woman waddle off to?” She mutters, growing more worried with each passing second she spends alone. Renamon appears just as she’s about to call for her, but Ruki has no time to express her concern.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Jen rages, rushing up to her.

“Can we please do this later?” She holds out both hands, letting him pull her up. “Preferably in a hospital room with lots of doctors and nurses who won’t let anything bad happen.”

“Oh, _now_ she wants to go to the hospital.” He mutters, wrapping an arm around Ruki’s waist as Renamon prepares to transport them. She leans into Jen and lets him hold her up, keeping her eyes closed until her ears pick up on the usual chaos of an ER.

Everything is eerily silent for maybe two seconds as people notice that a human couple and two Digimon have just appeared out of thin air, but things quickly pick up as people choose to ignore that in favor of more pressing matters. It’s a testament to how much people just don’t give a crap when they’ve got patients bleeding out on a table.

“I _can’t_ believe you!” Jen says, setting Ruki down in a chair. He runs a hand through his hair, nearly pulling out a clump as he paces back and forth in front of her chair. “You’ve been in labor all day! _All day_ , Ruki. When were you going to tell me?”

Ruki shoots a dirty look at Renamon, who quickly turns around and heads off to find a nurse or someone to help them. She turns back to Jen and one hand shoots out to grab his, bringing him to a stop. “I didn’t even know, okay?” He shoots her a look that stinks of skepticism and disbelief. “I really didn’t! The contractions were like, an hour apart. And I thought my water had to break first.”

“And-” Here’s the part she hasn’t said out loud, hasn’t allowed herself to dwell on. “She’s a _week_ early, Jen. What if... why? She shouldn’t be here yet.” _What if something’s wrong_ , she’d almost said but Ruki can’t bring herself to ask. This is all her fault. The contractions started during the flight, a flight even Terriermon knew she shouldn’t have been on.

Jen sighs and forces himself to sit down next to Ruki and reach for her hand. “Everything is going to be alright, Ruki.” He assures her, hoping to draw some comfort from his own words. “It’s normal for the first baby to be early.”

“Really?”

He has no idea, actually, but Jen knows that a baby is considered full term as soon as they hit thirty-seven weeks. Their daughter, if she’s born today, will only be a week early. Surely everything will be just fine. Ruki leans her head on his shoulder while he keeps telling himself that everything will be okay.

“Can you please save the shouting for later?” Ruki sighs, her words barely a whisper. She sounds exhausted already and Jen has no idea how she’s going to make it through the next few hours. Horror stories of thirty-six hour labors lurk in the back of his mind. “Because I’m about to push a baby out and I’m nowhere near ready for this, Jen, so I need you to be your usual self right now, not frustrated-slash-disappointed-slash-angry husband.”

It hits him then that this is happening, their baby is on the way. And just like Ruki, he’s completely unprepared. The only way for them to get through this is to stand together, for now. They can argue about her recklessness later. “Okay,” Jen says, kissing her temple. “We’ll fight later.”

Ruki laughs just as a shadow falls upon them, and they look up to find Renamon, along with a nurse and a wheelchair.

“Come,” Renamon says simply, and Jen helps her into the wheelchair.

“Hello, Mrs. Lee,” The nurse says, and she sounds so chipper Ruki can already feel a headache coming on. “I’ve called your doctor and she’ll be here any minute now. In the meantime, we’ll wheel you up to your room and let you get some rest until it’s time.”

“Trust me,” She smiles when Ruki huffs, unable to fathom the idea of getting any rest while she waits for her kid to come out. “You’ll need all the rest you can get. After all, you’re having a baby today!”

 .

 .

 .

 .

 .

Just to prove the nurse wrong, Ruki has the baby thirteen minutes after midnight, on the eighth of November.

She’s perfect, the doctors assure her, but they take her daughter away anyway and say they’ll need to run some tests, standard procedure, there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Ruki tells a conflicted Jen to follow their daughter while the nurses clean her up as much as they can, short of dunking her into a bathtub to wash off all of the previous day’s dirt, sweat and ugh, blood. A bath actually sounds good right now, but not as good as the idea of some rest in a proper bed after seven hours of labor.

A nurse, thankfully not the bubbly one from earlier, guides Ruki back to her room and helps her settle in. Jen shows up just a few minutes later, with the baby in tow. He carefully picks her up from the little crib he’d wheeled her around in, with a nurse’s supervision, and carries her to Ruki.

The last baby Ruki carried was Jen’s seven-month-old nephew, and the little tyke had started screaming the second he’d landed in her arms and wouldn’t shut up until she passed him to someone else.

As Jen slowly transfers the baby into her arms, she worries that her daughter might start screaming the second she leaves her father’s arms. Ruki fears she might start crying as soon as her mother holds her, and maybe she won’t stop. Maybe nine months of pregnancy and half of her DNA isn’t enough, maybe the baby will hate her just like Jaarin’s son and then what?

“She’s perfectly healthy,” Jen whispers into her ear as Ruki waits with baited breath to see how their daughter reacts. She squirms around a bit, opens her eyes for less than five seconds and promptly falls back to sleep.

Ruki laughs, relief so sudden and great that it bubbles up from her throat and stains her vision with tears. “She looks nothing like me,” She says, unwilling to take her eyes off her daughter’s sleeping form for even two seconds to turn to Jen. Carefully adjusting the baby so that she’ll be balanced in one hand, Ruki lifts her free hand to run hesitant fingers through her daughter’s surprisingly full head of fine hair.

“She looks nothing like me,” Ruki laughs again, finally turning to Jen. “She’s got your eyes and her hair… it’s blonde.” He looks just as amused as her and some silly part of her that actually thought this would matter to Jen is glad that he’s not disappointed.

“Well, she’s got your nose.” Jen points out, one finger hovering above the baby’s nose for the briefest of moments. “And a lot of redheads are born with blonde hair, I’ve just found out.”

“Let me guess – Renamon Googled it?”

“Terriermon did, actually. But Renamon clicked on all the articles and it checks out. So expect some competition in the redhead department soon.” He smiles teasingly, remembering at the very last second not to bump Ruki’s shoulder with his own. The last thing he wants is to jostle their precious cargo and wake her up, but a nurse approaches and tells them it’s exactly what they have to do. Apparently it’s a good time to start breastfeeding, and the nurse needs a few attempts before she can teach Ruki how to do it just right because the new mother is laughing too hard at how awkward Jen seems to be.

After they go through the motions of burping the baby and checking her to see if she needs anything changed, the nurse consents to wheeling in her bed so that she can sleep in the same room as Ruki. It’s almost four by then, and the baby technically sleeps through the night – she wakes at seven, along with the sun.

Her parents, on the other hand, find sleep to be elusive. Ruki should be exhausted and Jen hasn’t slept in who knows how long, but after the nurse leaves, he climbs into bed with her and they just stare at their sleeping daughter.

“Holy crap,” Ruki murmurs after an hour of silence. “How in the world did I push her out?”

Jen laughs, and the force of it shakes the tiny hospital bed. She elbows him in the gut before he can wake the baby. “At times, Ruki,” He says, lips brushing against the shell of her ear. It’s comforting, the way they have to squeeze together to fit in this bed. It reminds Ruki of days spent hiding out in Jen’s dorm room, only now they’ve got a baby right next to their bed. “I wonder how you even got through this entire pregnancy, let alone gave birth to her.”

She sighs. “Are we going to fight about how reckless I was now?”

“I don’t want to fight,” Jen says quietly, one arm reaching around her. Out of habit, his hand comes to rest on her stomach. It’s still bloated enough that she thinks a baby should be in there, that she panics every time she realizes she’s alone in her own skin.

“Me neither.”

“Just,” He tries to get his message across. “Just never do stuff like that again, okay? Especially the bit where you didn’t tell me your water broke. Promise me.”

Ruki thinks about it for a moment. “I promise I’ll never do anything that’s obviously a bad idea from now on.”

“And when you say _a bad idea_ ,” Jen sighs, knowing just where this is going. “Do you mean a bad idea in general, or a bad idea to you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” She shrugs, and the movement nearly presses the edge of her shoulder against his neck.

“Oh, I know you and your _Sidhe_ deals.” He scoffs. “You’re just like the Fae – you can’t lie, so you make sure your promises are worded to suit you.”

“It sounds like someone’s been spending a bit too much time around Yamaki and his mythology books.” Ruki teases, conveniently ignoring the point he was trying to make. She knows what Jen wants, and it’s true that she’s twisted the promise. But the fact is that she can’t make him the promise he wants. Even now, knowing how things all ended up… if she had to repeat the last twenty-four hours all over again, she would. And she’d make the same choices, all of it leading up to her water breaking in the Digital World. The alternative, the idea of letting Jen walk into unknown dangers on his own – that’s not something she’s okay with.

Jen sighs heavily but says nothing else, and they continue to watch the rise and fall of their little daughter’s chest. That’s not the last of their discussion, Ruki knows, and there’s probably never going to be an end to it. But that’s a fight for another time and another place, not tonight in the presence of their newborn baby.

They remain that way until sunrise, when Jen climbs out of bed and sits in the armchair he pulled up to Ruki’s side. The nurses aren’t fooled but other than a few knowing looks, no one makes any references to the no sleep-overs rule. They get their first visitors right after morning rounds, when Renamon and Terriermon show up with a bag of necessities to last Ruki for the next day.

“I hope you’ve decided on a name,” Renamon says, peering at the little bundle in her Tamer’s arms. Terriermon, on the other hand, is literally standing on top of the mattress, stretching to get a close-up look at the baby.

Jen laughs. “It took us a while and we made a decision pretty last-minute, but yes, she has a name.”

“Well?” Terriermon demands, turning to Jen. “Let’s hear it, then. It’s so weird to keep calling her _little baby_.”

“Rika.” Ruki announces softly, pushing stray corners of the blanket away from her daughter’s face. “We were seriously considering Ramika, but three-word first names are uncommon in Chinese, so we went with Rika.”

“You know we could always go with Ramika if you want,” Jen says, an echo of words he’s said no less than five times. “I mean, I barely ever use my Chinese name. I doubt it’ll matter to her.”

“It’s alright, Jen,” Ruki assures him, for the fifth time. “Besides, she already knows her name. Don’t you, Rika?” She places her hand near the baby’s and watches as Rika’s little fist reaches up and curls around her finger in response.

“According to studies, babies are mentally incapable of recognizing words and their own names up until the age of-”

Terriermon clambers over to the side of the bed and quickly puts an end to that. “Maybe save your fun facts for later, Renamon.”

“You are right,” Renamon says after a brief pause. “That was unnecessary.”

Standing at the foot of the bed, both Digimon watch as their Tamers bond with the baby. All is quiet now, but Renamon can picture this scene a few months from now, and she can hear the baby’s laugh when her little hand reaches up to capture her mother’s finger. A few months after that and the child will be crawling around. And then, she’ll start walking. Years will pass, each of them bringing significant milestones. Renamon can see them all now, and she intends to see them in person, as well. Terriermon ambles over to the baby and curls one ear around her arm.

“Welcome to the family, Rika."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all – the name, I know. The thing is, Rika wasn’t even on my list of possible names. Not only did it fail to make the list, it honestly never even occurred to me! I had two names picked out and was ready to just choose one, but neither of them sounded or felt right. To make myself laugh, I thought 'hey, what about Ruki’s American-dub name?' And then I figured well, why not? This can be our little inside joke, yes?
> 
> I’m sorry this is a day late. I struggled with this last chapter and the sudden onset of a killer migraine really didn’t help. Brilliant timing, headache. 
> 
> Fear not, the long and rambling thank-you note is being saved for the epilogue, so you’ve been spared an essay disguised as an author’s note. All that’s left to say right now is HEY! Send in prompts for the outtakes if there’s anything you want to see!


	15. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

* * *

“Hana?”

The girl literally jumps when Jen calls her name, and turns around with eyes wide as saucers. “Oh,” Hana says, one hand still placed over her heart. “It’s just you.” She blurts out, then quickly realizes that her words might be considered rude. “I mean, hello, Mr. Lee. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you.” Jen replies, stifling a laugh. Ruki’s obviously spent the day terrorizing her poor assistant while they were busy setting up for tonight. “Do you know where Ruki is?”

“Miss Makino – I mean, Mrs. Lee,” Hana amends, casting him an apologetic look that soon turns into a rather amusing expression of confusion with a dash of awkwardness as she tries to figure out how she should address Ruki when speaking to her boss’ husband.

“She prefers Miss Makino,” Jen supplies helpfully, taking pity on the girl.

“Right,” Hana smiles nervously, heaving a sigh of relief. “Miss Makino is in the powder room. That’s just down the hallway, next to the ladies’ room. She said she was going to get ready there.”

“Well, the party’s about to start so I think I should go check on her.” Jen tells her, sparing a look at his watch. Fifteen minutes until people are supposed to start arriving. “Thank you, Hana.”

He leaves the girl to whatever it is she’s doing - probably wrapping up some last-minute preparations along with the rest of the people in the room. Jen’s actually surprised Ruki didn’t stick around until every last detail was settled and to her liking; she’s put more effort into this event than their wedding. The thought makes him laugh as he knocks on the door that bears the words _powder room_.

“Who is it?” A muffled voice calls out, and he hears the click of heels on tiles as Ruki approaches the door.

“If this were a fairytale, you’d have recognized me by my knock alone,” Jen says, smiling when the door opens to reveal Ruki, one hand holding her hair up in a loose ponytail.

“Unfortunately, you’re not Prince Charming.” Ruki quips with a smirk, walking off. He locks the door behind him and follows her to a long mirror, watching as she twists her hair up. She tries to pin her bangs up a few times but gives up when they fall out of place for the fourth time, and leaves them to frame her face.

Jen leans against the counter and turns to face her. “You look nice,” He smiles as Ruki tugs on her sleeves. She’s wearing a black jumpsuit, and it’s nice enough that she won’t look out of place tonight in a sea of formal wear. The fabric looks like the same airy material her wedding dress was made of, and Jen remembers that Ruki had developed a fondness for chiffon after that dress. She fusses over the neckline, seemingly unhappy with the way the top stretches across her bust. The jumpsuit does look quite… snug. The slightly wider flare of her hips is clearly outlined but Jen doubts anyone would believe his wife gave birth just four months ago.

“Yamaki warned me not to show up in jeans,” Ruki mutters, pulling at the waistband of her outfit. It’s not sitting quite where she wants it to but at least this is more comfortable than a dress… especially since most of them wouldn’t zip up past her chest. She turns to Jen, reaching out to fix his tie. It’s a bit of a joke between them, that Ruki’s more skilled at knotting a tie thanks to her years of private school uniforms. “You look pretty good yourself. I haven’t seen you wear this shirt in a long time, though.”

“I had to change twice,” Jen laughs at the memory. “The second time around, I was already running late so I just grabbed whatever I could find.”

Ruki frowns. “I told you not to carry her around after you’ve changed.”

“But how could I resist?” He asks, looking rather helpless. “You know she does that thing where she reaches out for you with those grabby little fists and her huge baby eyes.”

“Yeah, and then she spits up all over you.” Ruki reminds him, speaking from experience. “And you’ve got to stop giving in to her. You’re whipped, and a four-month-old baby is calling the shots.”

“ _Your_ four-month-old baby is calling the shots,” Jen grins, winding his arms around Ruki’s waist. “You know Makino women are my weakness.”

“Oh, now she’s _my_ baby?” Amusement laces her words as Ruki settles both hands on Jen’s shoulders to balance herself when he suddenly pulls her closer.

“She’s always your baby,” He shrugs. “It’s just that she happens to be mine too, when she does impressive stuff or behaves exceptionally well.”

“You are unbelievable.” Ruki laughs, bringing her hands up to frame Jen’s face. She draws him closer and finally kisses him.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” Jen tells her when she pulls away.

“Jen, I left home less than three hours ago.”

“Four hours ago,” He corrects. “Besides, I’m allowed to be unreasonably needy and clingy. We’re still newlyweds.”

“We are _parents_ ,” Ruki steps away, putting some distance between herself and Jen’s hands. “Not crazy hormonal teenagers. We went through that phase ten years ago.”

“Yes, and then we became crazy hormonal college students, and after that we graduated into crazy hormonal grown-ups, and now we’re crazy hormonal parents.”

“Unbelievable,” Ruki mutters, shaking her head. She reaches out to grab her clutch, swatting Jen’s hand away as he tries to pull her back in. “Come on, you. We don’t have time to be crazy hormonal; we need to be sensible grown-ups for this thing and then we need to rush home to be responsible parents.”

Jen gives in with a sigh, and wraps an arm around Ruki’s waist as they leave the powder room. “Did you ever think you’d say that?”

“About us being sensible grown-ups and responsible parents?” Ruki asks. He nods and she goes on. “No, but remember that list of things I thought I’d never say?”

“That should be a real list, just so that we can see how many things we’ve actually crossed off.” Jen suggests.

“My point exactly,” Ruki smiles as they enter the ballroom. A quick headcount tells Ruki that almost everyone is here, so she leads Jen to their table and they sit down just as Yamaki takes the stage to deliver a quick speech on the partnership between Hypnos and Prometheus. He touches on the mutual benefits they’ll reap, with Prometheus getting access to Hypnos’ information and funding so that the two organizations can build a better future for all of humanity. By the end of Yamaki’s speech, she’s convinced her boss has probably talked quite a number of their guests into contributing to the project.

Doctor Allaire’s speech, on the other hand, seems to go on and on without really drawing any reaction from the crowd. Ruki’s always known that Yamaki is very efficient at playing the PR game but Prometheus’ lead scientist and his struggle to deliver his speech makes her boss look like a celebrity born to be on stage.

Halfway through, Jen leans in and whispers: “this would have been so much more bearable if the speeches were scheduled after dinner.”

“It’s a buffet,” Ruki mutters. “There is no _after dinner_ , there’s only a second helping and a third and so on. If this happened after the buffet starts, no one would be paying attention.”

“True,” He concedes with a shrug and they join in on a round of applause as Allaire finally wraps up his speech. Hana takes the stage then, and she thanks both men for their inspiring words before announcing the start of dinner, much to everyone’s delight. That should have been Ruki up there, but she’d pulled rank and gotten her assistant to do it instead. Hana looks much more comfortable on stage, anyway.

“Come on, then,” Jen says, pulling her to her feet. “I know for a fact that you skipped lunch, and there’s no way you had anything to eat here.”

“Hey,” Ruki protests. “I had half a sandwich… I think.” Jen thanks her for proving his point and leads her to the buffet, only to find Yamaki in their way.

“Jenrya,” He smiles, clapping the younger man on his shoulder. “If you don’t mind leaving food and your wife behind for a bit, I’d like to introduce you to some people.” The older man points out a group of people across the room; Janyu stands amongst them.

“Sure,” Jen shrugs, turning to Ruki first. “Just make sure you get something to eat, alright? I’ll be back in a bit.”

She waves him off and watches as Yamaki leads the way to the group. Doctor Allaire is the first to greet them and Ruki laughs, wondering how Jen is going to deal with him. The man is brilliant but long winded, so she probably won’t be seeing Jen anytime soon.

At least the event is going off without a hitch, though. Ruki had deliberately opted for a buffet rather than a sit-down dinner, hoping to encourage people to move around and mingle. Now, she observes complete strangers striking up conversations with each other as they navigate the buffet line. As Ruki joins the line, she finds herself next to Evelyn Belgarde, a scientist she vaguely recognizes from a few of her meetings with Prometheus. As soon as the woman speaks up, Ruki sees why she’s always been so quiet during their meetings.

“Ruki, yes?” Evelyn smiles, pronouncing her name with a heavy French accent. She chooses her words carefully, looking quite uncertain of herself. “It is… so nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Evelyn,” Ruki switches to French and hopes that she can still communicate in the language. As far as extra languages go, Jen gets more use out of his Mandarin than she does of her French here in Japan, and she might be a bit rusty at this. Still, the whole point of this evening is to foster strong ties between Hypnos and Prometheus, and her attempt at making Evelyn more comfortable instantly endears her to the scientist.

“Oh,” The woman laughs in delight, her eyes lighting up as she reverts to her native tongue. “You speak beautiful French. How did you pick it up?”

“When I was younger,” Ruki explains as the line moves and they pick up plates. “My mother got into acting and thought of moving to France, since they were offering her better roles than most other film studios. We ended up staying here, but she still dragged me along one summer to promote her movie so I decided to pick up the language, just to make things easier for myself. And I had a partner to practice with, so it was easier for us to learn together and converse in the language to make sure we didn’t forget it.”

“It’s always easier when you have a friend,” Evelyn agrees as they help themselves to the food. “I’m trying to pick up Japanese now, since Doctor Allaire is making me part of the liaison team. I tried a few years ago but it was so difficult. Now though, with five other scientists, we’re all helping each other.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it pretty soon,” Ruki smiles encouragingly. “The writing might be a bit harder but all of our work will be in English, so at least you won’t have to run everything through Google Translate.”

Evelyn shakes her head, seemingly in dismay. “English,” She groans, handing Ruki the serving spoon once she’s had her pick of vegetables. “That is another headache entirely.”

“Tell me about it,” Ruki mutters. “I’ve been learning that my whole life and some of their sayings still don’t make sense to me.”

“Especially the American ones, no?” Evelyn agrees. “And the spelling differences! With an _O_ or a _U_? With a _U_ or no _U?_ Ah, my poor head.”

Ruki laughs once more as Evelyn pulls exaggeratedly pained looks for comical effect, and she's so absorbed by the scientist's antics that she nearly shrieks in surprise when someone places a hand on her back. “Well, it looks like you’ve made a friend.”

“Jen!”

“Oh,” Evelyn smiles, quickly arranging her features into a normal smile. There’s not a hint of embarrassment over being caught by a stranger while making funny faces, and Ruki decides instantly that she likes this woman. “Is this your French partner, then?”

“No, that was Renamon, actually. My Digimon partner?”

“Ah, yes!” Evelyn nods in recognition as Jen turns away from them to pick up a plate of his own. “Such a beautiful fox. Is she not here tonight?”

“She’s at home, actually.” Ruki says, wondering if she should add more to it. Evelyn seems nice enough, so she offers up some personal information. “She offered to babysit for the evening.”

“Yes,” Evelyn waves one hand around, as if grasping for a piece of conversation she'd overheard. “I heard about a baby, I think. Congratulations! What is the name, if I may ask?”

“Rika,” The name draws Jen’s attention, and he turns back to them. For his sake, Ruki switches to English. “And this is my husband, Jen.”

“Hello,” Evelyn reaches out to shake his hand. “You were in some of the meetings too, yes?”

Jen nods. “A few of them, but I was mostly just holed up in R&D.”

“Research?” Evelyn asks uncertainly.

“Yes, and development.”

“Then you are part of the team!” Evelyn smiles warmly. “I look forward to working with you.” She turns back to Ruki, but is interrupted before she can say anything.

“Evelyn!” A woman walks up to them and tugs on her arm. “Doctor Allaire is looking for you,” She hisses in rapid French. “Come, quickly.”

“Yes, yes, I will.” Evelyn waves the woman off, and turns to them with an apologetic look. Jen looks a bit lost, and concerned by the newcomer’s sharp tone.

“The boss needs you?” Ruki asks.

“Unfortunately,” Evelyn sighs. “It would appear so. I will see you later?”

“Sure,” She agrees. “We’ll be around.”

“Good,” The scientist smiles, picking up her plate. “It was nice meeting you,” She says to Jen in English before rushing off to the table where Allaire is now holding court, summoning various people to his side. The doctor looks a lot more confident and bossy, now that he’s off-stage.

“She seems like a nice lady,” Jen offers as they navigate the buffet table.

“I like her.” Ruki shrugs, piling food onto his plate.

“If you keep doing that,” Jen warns her with an amused smile. “I’m going to make you eat half of this stuff.”

Ruki holds up her own plate, which is already full even though they’re only halfway down the buffet table. “Why do you think I’m using yours?”

Jen laughs and lets her have at it. She’s probably going to end up just picking at little bits of everything, leaving him to finish the rest. “You only like her because you get to show off your French,” He jokes, getting back to their conversation.

“Is that why you hang out with Chinese people?” Ruki retorts, trying to find room for some salad. She gives up and hands her plate to Jen, telling him to head back to their table while she gets them drinks. They settle in to eat a while later, entertaining various guests as they wander up to the main table where Jen and Ruki are seated next to Reika, who steals both of their phones to squeal over pictures of Rika.

Reika hands his phone back to Jen when an alarm goes off. “Is that your cue to leave?” She asks, passing Ruki’s phone back as well.

“Yes,” Ruki sighs, getting to her feet. “I had no idea it was eleven already.”

“We’ve been here forever,” Reika tells her. “I thought you would have noticed that by the fact that I’ve drained half of your battery just looking at pictures.”

“Why don’t you come over and see the real kid sometime?” Jen suggests, standing up. “We’re free this weekend.”

The older woman quickly agrees and they work out a time and date before bidding her goodnight. Yamaki finally returns to the table just as they’re leaving. He thanks them for their work these past few months and lets Ruki talk him into accompanying Reika when she visits this Sunday.

After a few more quick goodbyes to Janyu, Evelyn and Hana, as well as familiar faces they encounter on their way out, Jen and Ruki finally leave the hotel behind and head home. Ruki kicks off her heels as soon as they get into the lift and holds the shoes in one hand, padding along in bare feet down the tiled hallway of their floor until they reach home.

“She’s asleep,” Renamon says as soon as the door opens, letting them know to keep their voices down.

“It took us a while and a lot of silly faces, so try not to wake her up.” Terriermon adds with a yawn, ambling off to his room. He’s ready to go to sleep now that he knows both Ruki and Jen have safely reached home.

“Thanks, both of you.” Ruki sighs as she bends down to carefully place her heels on the floor instead of just dropping them, knowing how loud they can be when they hit the hardwood floor. “I don’t know what we’d do without you,” She tells Renamon, sitting down next to her partner.

“It is no burden to care for Rika,” Renamon says quietly, waving off the need for gratitude. “She is as dear to us as she is to you.”

Ruki doesn’t doubt her words. Renamon has taken quite a liking to the baby, and she’s their go-to babysitter these days. When Ruki had first returned to work, she’d nearly had a breakdown over what to do with Rika, even though her grandmother offered to come over and take care of the baby. After numerous disasters during the short two months she’d been on maternity leave, including one that had almost ruined the entire partnership with Prometheus, Yamaki had been desperate to get Ruki back to work and had drawn her away from the temptation of staying at home with Rika by offering her a flexible schedule and short hours. As long as she gets her work done, her boss had said, he doesn’t care if she spends only an hour a day at the office. Torn between being a stay-at-home mom and helping out her boss, who was obviously in distress, Ruki had been at a loss until Renamon had stepped in, offering to care for Rika personally. Now she spends all of her weekday mornings with the baby until Ruki gets home at noon, and is always happy to babysit when the baby’s parents are called away for meetings or events. In short, Renamon has been a lifesaver these past few months.

“Still,” Jen insists, coming to stand near the sofa. “We’d be lost without you, Renamon.”

The fox stands up. “You are most welcome,” She says finally, with a smile. “I suggest we all get some sleep now,” Renamon reaches for the remote and turns off the TV. “Today has been quite long and you have one more day of work ahead of you.”

Her Tamer groans. “I totally forgot today isn’t Friday.” Ruki tells the both of them, looking exhausted at the idea of tomorrow. She’s got a full day ahead of her, with afternoon meetings to look forward to instead of a day with her daughter.

Renamon laughs and tells her she can live through one more day, and bids them goodnight before she retires for the evening.

“Come on,” Jen says, pulling Ruki to her feet. “Let’s just check in on Rika and then we can get to sleep.”

Ruki takes the lead and nearly runs to the nursery; today’s the first time she’s been away from the baby for nearly the whole day. Renamon left the door slightly ajar, so she doesn’t have to worry about fiddling with the doorknob as she slowly pushes the door open to reveal their sleeping baby. Jen trails in after her, and they slowly make their way over to the crib.

With her blankets carefully tucked in and a tiny bolster next to her, Rika sleeps peacefully and soundly. Her face scrunches up every so often, presumably in reaction to whatever little baby dream she’s having. Ruki is almost scared to reach out and brush back loose curls that are starting to take on a strawberry-blonde tint.

She holds her breath when Rika breathes out a tiny whine the way only babies can, but thankfully her daughter sleeps on. Jen takes his turn saying good night to the baby before they both quietly tip-toe out of the room, coming to a stop by the door. He leans against the frame and she rests her weight against him, and together they watch their sleeping daughter like the creepy stalker parents she sometimes thinks they are. But creepy stalkers or not, they're _parents_ now. There are days when Ruki still can't quite wrap her head around it but the one thing she does know is that she loves being a mom.

“I want another one,” She decides as Jen’s hands wrap around her waist. “I mean, give me a year or two – I want to enjoy our time with her.” Besides, Ruki’s nowhere near ready to go through nine months of pregnancy and half a day of labor all over again. “But after that we can work on another one.”

Jen is quiet for the longest time, and she turns around to check on him. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just,” He smiles but it looks shaky. “We’re married, we have a beautiful baby and you’re telling me you want another one.” One hand reaches up to frame the left side of her face. “Sometimes I’m _terrified_ that this might all be a dream.” Jen admits in a whispered voice.

Ruki settles one hand on his forearm and, with an unnaturally sweet smile, digs her nails into his skin. “There,” She says simply. “Not a dream.”

“Ouch!” Jen hisses, careful to keep his voice down. He pulls his arm away from Ruki and inspects the damage. “You know, a simple pinch would have been enough to prove your point.”

“You didn’t marry me because I’m the kind who’d just pinch you,” Ruki shrugs.

He shoots her a thoughtful look. “You have a very long list of reasons why I didn’t marry you.” Ruki has nothing to say to that, so she turns back around to lean against his front while watching the rise and fall of their daughter’s tiny chest.

“You know why I _did_ marry you though?” Jen speaks up after a while, his lips close enough to her ear that his exhale sends a few strands of her bangs flying.

“You have a weakness for Makino women?” Ruki guesses, echoing his words from earlier this evening.

“Well,” He says after a short pause, “that too, but mostly because I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember.”

She laughs, nearly forgetting to clap a hand over her lips to keep the baby from waking. “Stop being so corny,” Ruki tells him in between bouts of laughter.

“Fine,” Jen says, hiding a laugh of his own against her shoulder. “But are you going to say it back?”

The laughter that was shaking her body comes to an abrupt stop. “You already know how I feel,” She murmurs quietly.

“Yeah,” He shrugs. “But sometimes it’s nice to hear the words.”

“Okay, fine,” Ruki grumbles, turning around to face him. Her eyes are dancing with laughter. “I love you almost as much as I love that little munchkin of ours.”

“Hey!” Jen cries, faking indignation. “She’s been here for four months; I’ve been with you for a decade.”

“Oh, come on,” She grins. “As if you didn’t instantly fall in love with her the minute you saw her.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.” He insists. “I love the both of you _equally_.”

“Fine,” Ruki says, doing an impressive job of sounding bored and annoyed even as she laughs. She winds her arms around Jen’s neck. “I love the both of you equally, too.”

“Now you’re just saying that to make me happy.” Jen teases her.

Ruki rolls her eyes and pulls him closer. “Idiot,” She mutters, covering his lips with her own to shut him up.

All these years later and it still works like a charm.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s the show, folks! It’s been quite a ride – I had no idea I’d written sixty-something thousand words in a month, which must be some sort of personal record – and I think I’m all written out for now, but it was worth every late night last-minute writing binge. I’m off to recharge my batteries for now but I should be back before Christmas with the series of outtakes. Remember – if there’s anything you want to see, drop a line! I’m accepting prompts until the twenty-first of December.
> 
> Well, here comes the huge drama queen thank-you speech: thank you to ZERO UNIT RGB, whose thoughtful reviews and messages have been such a delight. Your words were not only encouraging, but inspiring as well. There are some scenes in this story that I never would have written if we hadn’t had our little fangirl exchanges. Thank you as well to LESMYSTIQUESTAR – your sweet reviews never failed to make me smile and always gave me a little push to keep writing, and if you just knew how much of a procrastinator I am, you’d know that’s some sort of miracle. To PINK-WRITER, thank you for dropping a note even though you were late to the party. Most people don’t really bother to say hi when they arrive towards the end. 
> 
> But to the latecomers and the lurkers who’ve been here since the beginning, thank you as well. The reviews made this entire experience worthwhile but it was nice to know that I was writing for more than just a handful of people. It’s so much more rewarding to write for ten people.
> 
> A huge thank you, as well, to AO3’s NEODARKLIGHT. Your comments, especially the ones about Ryo, were eye-opening and have alerted me to an entire Digimon world I wasn’t previously aware of. Your kind words were no less important, and I really appreciate them.
> 
> So… I guess that’s it for now. Let’s leave the new family alone for a bit and let them have some time to adapt to their new lives. If all works out though, we might drop in on them for a bit in the outtakes and see how they’re doing, so this isn’t goodbye just yet.
> 
> See you soon!


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